Dimensional Adventure
by tmnt-luver
Summary: After the strange disappearance of Splinter, the turtles are sent to a dimensional world to get him back. But this is no ordinary world, and saving their Master is going to be harder than they thought.
1. Default Chapter

Dimensional Adventure  
  
(Ok. Strangely, this was based on a dream I had, so, yes! I do dream about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and, no, I don't own them - wish I did! Anyway, I've only been posting short stories so I thought, hey; why not write a full one? Well, here it is).  
  
Raph hated Mikey's singing. But, unfortunately, whatever he said wouldn't shut him up, no matter how hard he tried. Putting a sock in Mikey's mouth wouldn't work, because he would still sing, only it would just be muffled.  
  
"Ninja, ninja, rap!  
  
Ninja, ninja rap!"  
  
The song went around the kitchen and echoed off the walls.  
  
Raph looked over the table at his brother, Leo, to see what his reaction to Mikey's singing was. He didn't seem at all that bothered. In fact, he was smiling! Raph sighed and looked to his right at Donnie. His brother in purple didn't seem that bothered either because he was just humming along. Raph's eyes darted to his left and he looked at his Master Splinter. Mikey was the only one standing, moving around the kitchen as he made them all breakfast. Gotta love him for that, Raph thought.  
  
"Something on your mind, Raphael?" he Master asked, watching him.  
  
Raph sighed again and shook his head. "No, Master Splin'er. Nothing", Raph said.  
  
"Ni -" Mikey stopped singing, and turned to look at them all. "Hey dudes", he said, "breakfast is served". Turning back round, Mikey grabbed two plates of food and gave one to his Master and one to Leo. Then he grabbed Raph's and Donnie's plates and handed them theirs, before grabbing his own and taking a seat between Donnie and Leo. He had made them all a fried breakfast.  
  
"Thank you, Michelangelo", Splinter said, before happily tucking into his.  
  
"Thanks", Leo, Donnie and Raph said, making Mikey grin. He enjoyed cooking, not just for his brothers, but for himself as well. Basically, it was a hobby, and all his brothers possessed one.  
  
With Leo, it was mainly practicing and meditating, but that was part of their everyday lifestyle, but the turtle in blue definitely enjoyed reading magazines and books.  
  
As for Donnie, it was definitely, positively: his computer, because you couldn't stop him from going on it. Like Mikey was addictive to singing, Donnie was addictive to his computer. Nothing could stop him from going on the Internet to learn more about the world.  
  
Raph hobby was going to the movies all the time. At least that was what Mikey always thought. But, if he was honest, he did admit that Raph practised a lot, even if that was still apart of their living routine.  
  
Mikey wasn't so sure whether Splinter even had a hobby, but surely everyone did. Taking care of them, meditating and teaching them Ninjitsu was the only main hobby Mikey could think of. Unless -  
  
"Hey guys!"  
  
A voice snapped Mikey out of his thoughts and he looked to see April standing in the kitchen doorway, wearing a pair of black trousers, a white polo-neck top and black boots. Her curly hair was tied back loosely. She smiled at all of them.  
  
"Hey April", they all said, smiling back at her.  
  
April walked over to them and sat down on a spare seat in between Raph and Splinter. Mikey offered to make her breakfast but she shook her head, saying she'd already eaten.  
  
"How'd you get down here?" Raph asked, smiling. "There is no way that I am going to believe that you, Miss O'Neil, lifted a manhole".  
  
"Raphael", Splinter warned, but he was smiling.  
  
April hit Raph playfully on his arm. "Actually, I had some help".  
  
Raph's smile disappeared. "Oh no . . ."  
  
"Oh yes", Casey said, coming into the kitchen, wearing a black pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. He slapped Mikey a high five ('three' in Mikey's case) as he walked up to April. "S'up guys? Leo. Mikey. Donnie. Splinter", Casey nodded in greeting at them all. He turned to Raph. "I'm sorry . . . I forgot your name . . ."  
  
"Oh, haha", Raph said sarcastically, but his smile returned. "That was so funny I forgot to laugh".  
  
"I'm not the only one losing my memory then", Casey said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to April. Since there were only 4 people that knew about the turtles existent (that were actually friends), so the guys always made sure they had plenty of chairs near the kitchen table.  
  
"Yo Casey, where ya been?" Mikey asked, continuing to eat his breakfast.  
  
"Here and there", Casey relied, draping one arm around April's shoulders and chewing on some gum. "Preventing a few robberies that have been going around".  
  
"Robberies?" Leo asked, while biting into some sausage.  
  
"Yeah. Always the same kids though." Casey said.  
  
"I'm glad it's not the foot", Donnie said, munching quietly on a piece of bacon. "I think we've had enough of them, and the Shredder".  
  
"Don't worry, bro", Mikey said. "The Shred-head's dead".  
  
"True, Michelangelo", Splinter said. "But crime still rests in this City and it refuses to leave, no matter how much you want it to".  
  
Casey chewed thoughtfully on his chewing gum, not realising he was even doing it. Everyone looked at him as the sound of his chewing became louder. April raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"What?" he asked, hands raised.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
April and Casey stayed a while longer and then they left, saying that they were going to spend the day out together since April was off work. Splinter wished them a pleasant day and the guys were trying to get them to say where they were going.  
  
"No comment", Casey had said, grinning. "Anyway if we tell you, you guys will just come and spoil it. We don't want that now, do we?"  
  
"Absolutely not", April told them.  
  
Now, with breakfast over and done with, Splinter had retreated to his bedroom to meditate, saying his sons could have the day off practicing, as long as they didn't rip each others throats out. They promised they wouldn't, smiling at the same time.  
  
"Now, who's throat shall I rip out first?" Raph said, smiling evilly. "Oh, Mikey . . ."  
  
"Guys, no fighting", Leo warned, standing in the middle of their small living room. Donnie stood next to him, smiling as he watched Mikey pounce on Raph first, pinning him to the sofa and pretending to strangle him.  
  
"Who said anything about fighting?" Mikey said, his hands on Raph's neck. "What was that you said, Raph? YOU'RE gonna rip MY throat out first?"  
  
Raph pushed Mikey off him and stood up. "So, what are we gonna do?"  
  
They all agreed to watch a movie, but deciding on the movie took more agreement. Eventually, after looking through their whole movie collection, they decided to watch 'Adams Family Values', one of their favourites. Though Raph wasn't too keen on it, he didn't protest.  
  
"Wow, cool house", Mikey said when the massive, but very (VERY) old house came onto the screen. It was so big that it didn't even look like a house - it looked like a castle!  
  
"Mikey", Donnie said. "It's practically falling down! Personally, I prefer the sewer".  
  
Leo and Raph nodded in agreement.  
  
Halfway through the movie Mikey got up from his cosy position on the sofa, and went into the kitchen to get something to eat. Leo warned him that if he ate pizza straight after breakfast, he'd feel ill. Donnie second that motion by pointing out that food takes hours to digest and needed at least 20 minutes until it reached the stomach. Raph just shouted "make mine with pepperoni!" and received looks from Donnie and Leo. Mikey came out of the kitchen a while later, with cooked pizzas stacked high on top of one another.  
  
"Hey guys, look, it's the leaning 'Tower Of Pizza'!" Mikey smiled. He placed the pizzas on the small coffee table that sat in front of the sofa. Raph leaned forward and grabbed a slice from the first pizza that touched his hand. He settled himself back into the softness of the sofa and took a bite, letting the cheese off the slice dangle from his mouth before eating it.  
  
"Hey, thanks Mikey!" Raph said, eating the pizza at the same time.  
  
Leo and Donnie rolled their eyes, and turned their attention back to the TV. Silence filled the room again, except for the noise that came from the movie. Splinter remained quiet in his room, something that was important when he was meditating.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Splinter smiled as peaceful energy flowed through him, something that often happened when he was meditating. He felt relaxed, calm. Not that he never was, he was always relaxed. The lit candles flickered around the room, letting the light of the flames dance over his face.  
  
Splinter kept his eyes shut, continuing to mediate.  
  
He saw no images. Normally when he mediated he saw images of his sons, or April and Casey. They were always happy images, just the way he wanted them to be. Sometimes he even saw objects, but they were always too fuzzy or too strange to make them out.  
  
For the pass few weeks though, Splinter had seen a girl. Even though he couldn't get a clear image of her, he knew she was a teenager. Sometimes he could hear her voice, but it sounded so far away, so distant. He couldn't make it out, but each time he meditated he tried harder to reach her, and each time he got the tiniest bit closer. There was some reason for it, a reason that Splinter knew was important.  
  
Without realising because his eyes were closed, the candles in Splinter's room flickered, and then died slowly, soundlessly.  
  
One candle, that strangely glowed a soft blue flame, remained dancing in the darkness on Splinter's bedside table. Unnoticed, the flame grew higher, revealing a bright white light in the middle of it. It gradually grew until it reached the room's ceiling, but remained unnoticed to Splinter because no heat reflected off it.  
  
Splinter's smile faded as he felt the energy disappear from him. This time, he didn't feel the peaceful energy he had felt before. He felt strong energy, powerful energy. And he saw her. He saw the girl. Her figure slid in and out of focus as he tried to picture her.  
  
But he couldn't.  
  
All he could picture now was bright, white light . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
The cast to the movie started to roll up the TV screen. Leo turned the TV off with the remote control, getting up at the same time. He suggested that he and his brothers at least do a bit of practicing, and with a few moans and groans, they eventually agreed. Getting onto their feet, the four turtles went into their rooms to get their weapons. Leo, who sometimes practiced with his Master, went into Splinter's room to get his katannas.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"D'you think we could watch another movie after?" Mikey asked, wiping his nunchucks with a cloth then tossing it to Raph.  
  
Raph shrugged. "Prob'ly", he said, wiping the tip of his sai.  
  
Donnie joined them in the living room, clutching his Bo. He spun it around his hand a few times, before grabbing the cloth off Raph and giving it a quick clean. He knew that Leo liked to practice as often as he could, even if Splinter did give them the day off. But he didn't mind. Leo was a good opponent to try and beat.  
  
"Guys!"  
  
Leo ran out of his Master's room, his katannas in his shell, and right into Mikey. They both fell to the floor with a loud 'thud', Leo landing on the bottom, on his plastron, and Mikey landed on top of Leo's shell.  
  
Raph helped Mikey to his feet and then Leo.  
  
"Guys -" Leo started.  
  
"Geeze, Leo", Mikey said, smiling slightly. "Don't say 'sorry', then".  
  
Mikey slapped Donnie a low three behind his back, hidden from Leo. Donnie put his Bo in the pocket on his shell and picked Mikey's weapons from the floor that he had dropped, giving them to him.  
  
"Guys! Master Splin'er! He's gone!"  
  
"He's probably gone for a walk, Leo", Raph said casually, putting his sais in his belt and looking at his brother. "He is allowed, ya know".  
  
"How, Raph?" Leo snapped, but he couldn't help it. "We've been sitting in here this whole time so he would have gone past us. He's not there and . . . all his candles are out . . . he always lights them when he's meditating . . . c'mon, I'll show you".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"He's gone", Donnie whispered, walking around his Master's medium sized bedroom. When they all first moved in the sewer lair they had all decided to give Splinter the biggest room after what he had done for all of them. Donnie, frowning at something, walked over to his Master's bedside table, examining the layer of strange candle wax on there. Splinter never used to let his candles burn right down to the wick. He was always aware of the danger it could do.  
  
Mikey sat down on Splinter's bed, feeling the warmth of it. Raph sat down next to him, looking at the wick of the candles, and watching the thin, grey lines of smoke still hovering above them. Leo stayed standing, pacing the room, smelling the lingering scent of burning from the dead candles.  
  
"Guys, look'a'this", Donnie said quickly, receiving his brothers' attention. He pointed to the small table, watching the wax drip off the edge.  
  
"So . . .?" Raph said, but looking anyway.  
  
"So . . . look at it. I mean Splinter never lets his candles burn right down. It's far too dangerous since it could start a fire. If you ask me, someone put out his candles, but kept this one burning . . ."  
  
"Yeah, but, who would do that?" Mikey asked. "There's no one here!"  
  
"I don't know, Mike", Donnie said. "But this isn't even hot". Using his index finger, Donnie touched the candle wax. At first, it felt hot, and then it went cool beneath his fingers. Donnie realised how . . . blue . . . the wax looked. He thought it was just him, but no, it was definitely blue. Bright blue.  
  
"Donnie . . ." Leo whispered, watching the wax shine. "Be -". Before Leo could say the word "careful", the wax got brighter. Leaning over his brother, Leo could see Donnie's and his reflection in the wax, and then Mikey's and Raph's as they leaned over as well. He watched, shocked, as the wax grew bigger, making a puddle shape.  
  
It was blinding. The blue suddenly turned into bright white light and Leo had to shield his eyes to stop them from hurting. He could just see his brothers do the same, but Donnie was getting the main blast from it all. Leaning down, Leo put his arms around his brother, shielding him as well. He felt Donnie grab his arm, and almost heard him say something, but he couldn't make it out.  
  
Leo's hearing disappeared and for a moment he thought he was going deaf.  
  
Splinter's room disappeared and Leo could only see the outline of his brothers, all huddling together, and the white light that surrounded them, hurting their eyes even more. Looking down and squinting his eyes tightly, he realised that there was no floor! The light was the only thing, but it was untouchable, also unbearable.  
  
When Leo thought that he could take no more, the light slowly began to fade. Donnie's face started to come into view and Leo was relieved when he heard Raph and Mikey speaking behind them. Still hugging his brother, Leo slowly let go of Donnie, but not completely. They both looked at each other, stunned, confused and, very strangely, they felt seasick.  
  
Leo felt his feet touch a hard, solid floor and a few spilt seconds later; he heard his brothers' land beside him. They all rubbed their eyes, bringing everything into focus, and gasping when everything actually came into focus . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(I've made this one short and simple. I'll post the second chapter shortly so you can get a feel of what the story is about - by the way - I have weird dreams!  
  
Peace out! t-u-r-t-l-e power!  
  
luv tmnt_luver x) 


	2. Keja And Kida

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"Donnie. You alright?" Leo asked, still clutching his brother's arms.  
  
"Yeah . . . yeah - I'm ok", Donnie replied. "Raph. Mikey?"  
  
"Behind ya, bro", Mikey said, standing up straight next to Raph.  
  
"Where are we . . .?" Raph said, confused, looking around.  
  
Donnie stood up next to Leo and saw that they were all on a wooden platform. It was squared and small, so the guys didn't have much room to move. In front of them was one side of the square. The turtles walked over to it and looked over.  
  
"Arg!" Mikey shouted, shocked.  
  
It wasn't a horror sight or anything. It was just . . . weird . . . very weird.  
  
Tons of small red trains flew past them, whipping their bandannas around their faces. Looking around them they saw loads of railway tracks and yellow paths that stood next to them, curving and crossing in all different directions and going as far as the ninja eye could see. When the guys squinted their eyes straight ahead of them, they could see a small forest and beyond it was a river, flowing all the way to a tall building. What were beyond there the turtles didn't know, and they were positive that they didn't even want to know.  
  
"Wha' . . .?" Mikey whispered, putting his hand on Raph's shoulder to lean over and get a better look. "What is this place?"  
  
Leo shook his head, seeing if it would wake him up. But no, it wasn't a dream. "Whatever this place is", he said, looking at Donnie. "I bet my shell that this is where Master Splinter is".  
  
Donnie nodded silently, still looking over the side.  
  
"Well, well, you have arrived . . ." a voice said behind them.  
  
The guys shot around, finding the owner of the voice. They stared into the face of an old man, but it was no one they knew.  
  
"Where are we?" Leo demanded, stepping forward. The man didn't look dangerous. He was wearing a red coat, that covered all his body and had a strange gold pattern on it, his black, faded pants ended in black boots. His face was welcoming, but his grey / blue eyes were expressionless; his face had a long beard and was complete with long, white hair. He looked like a wizard. But Leo wasn't going to take any risks. Behind him, his brothers moved a step forward as well.  
  
"Hey, it's Professor Dumbledore", Mikey whispered. Next to him, Donnie and Raph had to muffle their laughter. Luckily, Leo didn't hear.  
  
"Welcome", he said, in a voice that was neither loud nor quiet. "I am Keja, carer of this world and Master of its people and beings. I know what you seek".  
  
"We seek our Master", Leo said. "We want him back!"  
  
"I'm afraid", Keja said, taking a step towards Leo, "that you cannot just take him back like that. This world took your Master, and if you want him back then you have to rescue him".  
  
"What do you mean, rescue him?" Raph asked, angrily. "You took him!"  
  
"I did not take him. But that is the only way to get him back. See that forest", Keja pointed over to the row of trees, "your Master is hidden in there. But to get there, you must take any of these trains and make a journey there. But beware, each train takes you to a different dimension, and some are dangerous. Now, do you still want to find your Master?"  
  
Leo looked across at the forest. "We have to".  
  
"Doesn't look that hard", Donnie said, looking at the different trains.  
  
Keja smiled at them. "Nothing is what it seems in this world. So don't judge too quickly. You only have 4 days to find your Master. If you fail, you will all be trapped here, as many have been before you".  
  
"We won't fail", Raph said, looking at Keja.  
  
"You have a positive mind, young one", Keja said. "A positive mind is needed in a place like this. Do you have any questions?"  
  
They all looked at each other, and then slowly shook their heads.  
  
Keja nodded. "Right. You may begin. But before you do, I have to warn you that some dimensions can lead you to your death and you can't escape all of them. My daughter, Kida, will watch over you during your journey".  
  
"Your daughter?" Mikey asked, coming up to stand next to Leo.  
  
Keja smiled and stepped to his right.  
  
Standing there, in the space that was behind him, was a young girl. The guys could tell straight away that she was their age because of the teenager look. But she looked far to normal to be in this world, and to be Keja's daughter. Where he was in strange clothes, she was in normal ones, wearing just black jeans, a blue aqua t-shirt and white sneakers. Her light tanned face, perfectly round and with dimples, was smiling slightly at them. Her eyes were a beautiful aqua shade and her hair was black, falling in layers down to her waist and a few strands falling over her face. She had a normal 15-year-old figure and was their height.  
  
Mikey nudged Leo slightly. "I'm in love", he whispered. Leo smiled. Even in the weirdest situations Mikey could be funny.  
  
Donnie and Raph stood next to Mikey, silently wondering why such a normal teenager was even in this world. Did she fail to rescue someone too? Or was she born here? Whatever it was, they weren't sure she could be trusted, including Keja.  
  
"This is Kida", Keja said, standing next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders. She smiled up at him, revealing perfectly straight teeth.  
  
Leo stepped forward in front of Kida. "How are you going to help us?" he asked.  
  
"I never said she was going to help you", Keja said, taking his arm away from Kida's shoulders. "She's going to go with you, making sure the dimensions you enter isn't forbidden. Keep in mind though, she may or may not help you. That is her choice, her decision".  
  
Leo looked at Kida, trying to read her face expression.  
  
Raph stepped forward and looked at Kida. "So basically you're just going to follow us around? Watch us make mistakes and only help us when you want to? What are you, some kind of spy?"  
  
"Raph", Leo warned.  
  
Keja studied Raph for a second. "Remember what I said, don't judge to quickly, with humans and other beings. Kida is not a spy. She is the princess of this world, so think before you say".  
  
"Princess . . ." Donnie said quietly.  
  
"Now, good luck. Walk along the yellow path and choose a train you want. When you have chosen that train, just say 'stop' and it'll stop for you, taking you to the dimension it travels to".  
  
With that, Keja slowly disappeared, along with the platform, leaving the guys and Kida on a yellow path, the trains still flying past them.  
  
"This is a dream", Mikey whispered. "Any minute now Dorothy is going to come running down that path, her little dog following her, singing 'follow the yellow brick road'".  
  
Raph pinched Mikey's arm. "This isn't the 'Wizard of Oz', Mikey. The sooner we find Splin'er then the sooner you can go home and actually dream about it".  
  
"You mean I'm not dreaming? Oh, man". Mikey walked up to Donnie, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Please tell me you can just pick a train and make it lead us to Master Splinter. Please".  
  
"29 . . . 30 . . . 31 -", Donnie watched each train go past.  
  
"Donnie!" Mikey said, waving a hand in front of his brother's face. "Stop counting them and pick one".  
  
"35 . . . 36 . . ."  
  
"You're hopeless . . . Leo!" Mikey stepped over to his brother in blue. "Are we going to pick a train or what?"  
  
"Dunno, Mike", Leo said. "I don't know which one to take".  
  
"Well . . . ask 'er", Mikey said, pointing to Kida who was standing at the each of the path, watching each train go by and letting them whip her hair around her face.  
  
Leo sighed and walked over to Kida. "Listen", he said, receiving her attention. "We have no idea which one to take. So . . . could you just point us in the right direction or start us off? Please".  
  
Kida smiled at him. "Sure", she said, speaking for the first time. Amazingly, she had a normal American voice, as if she'd actually been there and had just came here on a school field trip. Walking over to his brothers, she stood right next to a railway track and shouted, "stop!" to the first train that came near her. Screeching to a halt, the train stopped right in front of her and the automatic doors opened.  
  
Raph, Mikey and Donnie looked at each other.  
  
Leo walked over to them. "C'mon, let's go".  
  
Raph grabbed his brother's arm. "No way. We're just going to trust her? Just like that? For all you know she could be leading us into a trap!"  
  
Kida got on the train and turned round, waiting for them. She had heard what Raph said but shoved it to the back of her mind. She'd heard it all before and it was repeated like a tape recorder.  
  
Leo removed his arm from his brother's grasp. "Like we have a choice", he said, and jumped onto the train, followed by Mikey and Donnie. With a sigh, Raph jumped on as well, but sat down on the nearest seat, watching Kida like a hawk. The doors slammed shut behind them.  
  
The train was red on the inside. With soft seats going in two rows along the whole thing and two polls going from the ceiling to the floor next to the door they had just entered.  
  
The guys took four seats up along one of the rows, with Raph sitting right next to the door, eyes narrowed at Kida. Kida sat opposite them, leaning her back against an armrest and putting her legs over three chairs, making herself comfy as if she was sat in these trains all the time.  
  
"Can I ask you a question?" Donnie asked her, sitting next to Raph.  
  
Kida nodded. "Okay".  
  
"How did you get here?" Donnie asked. "Well . . . what I mean is did you have to rescue someone too? Like a friend or something? And well . . . fail? Or was you born here?"  
  
Kida shook her head. "No. I wasn't born here. Nor did I have to rescue anyone. My family died when I was young, and Keja took me in. Now, basically, he is my father and he treats me like a daughter".  
  
Mikey put a hand on Donnie's shoulder and leaned forward. "No way! You mean Keja isn't really your father? Well . . . makes sense, I guess . . . you don't look like him or anything. You're much cuter!"  
  
"Mikey!" Donnie said, smiling and shaking his head.  
  
Kida smiled. "Thanks".  
  
"Forgive him . . . he has . . . issues", Donnie said.  
  
"I'll give ya issues!" Mikey shouted, hitting his brother on the arm, but received a punch back straight away.  
  
"Guys", Leo said. "If ya gonna fight, do it over there!" He pointed to the end of the train. Donnie and Mikey looked at each other, shrugged, and walked over to where Leo ordered, continuing their fight there.  
  
Leo sighed and moved up two seats next to Raph. He turned to Kida. "Brothers", he moaned, smiling.  
  
Kida nodded. "I know how ya feel".  
  
"What? You got three mutant turtle brothers as well?" Raph asked, eyes still narrowed slightly at Kida and injecting a sarcastic tone in his voice.  
  
Kida laughed. "No. I have a twin brother".  
  
"Yeah . . .? He lives here as well?" Leo asked.  
  
"Not exactly", Kida said, standing up. The guys didn't realise that the train had come to a halt. Donnie and Mikey were still fighting. "C'mon", Kida said, opening the doors voluntary from the inside. "Lets go. Your first task awaits you . . ."  
  
"Get this thing off me!" Mikey yelled, referring to Donnie who had pinned him down.  
  
Leo and Raph quickly put Kida's brother to the back of their minds and got up to help Mikey and Donnie, bringing them both to their feet. Silently, they followed her out of the train and started their 4-day journey to save Splinter. Problem was, they all had a nagging feeling that it wasn't going to be an easy one.  
  
Kida lead them into a dark room and flicked on a light switch that was near the wall. The train stayed open behind them, as it always did when waiting for the next person to step on it.  
  
The guys watched as the lights went on around the room and shone onto the smooth floor, showing their reflections. But to one brother it was strange that their feet hadn't frozen.  
  
"It's an ice stadium . . ." Donnie said quietly . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Ok. Hopefully, this chapter will give ya all a feel of what the story is really about. Feel free to tell me if this story is rubbish, lol, but please, use nice words. The starting chapters are short but the other get / got longer. I'm going away for a week so I won't be able to post anything until I'm back - but then, 2 days later, I go away for 2 weeks. Greece! Yay! Sorry for any mistakes. I saw some in the first chapter and I will correct them, but, heck, we all make mistakes!  
  
As always, peace out! t-u-r-t-l-e power!  
  
luv tmnt_luver x) 


	3. The Dimensional World

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"Erm, I said could you point us in the right direction", Leo said slowly, turning to Kida. "Not take us to play ice hockey, and why isn't this floor cold?"  
  
Kida laughed. "This is the right direction, and the floor's not cold because it isn't a real ice stadium. See that door?" She pointed to a door on the other side of the ice stadium. "You have to get to there and go through it. That will lead you to some more yellow paths and trains, just pick one of them when you go through".  
  
"And how are we supposed to know which one to pick?" Raph asked, narrowing his eyes at her.  
  
"Easy, we guess", Donnie said.  
  
"We'll guess wrong", Mikey said, shaking his head.  
  
"Oh, c'mon, how hard can it be?" Leo asked, taking one step forward.  
  
"Wait!" Kida said, standing in front of them all, her back facing the door. She looked at the turtles slowly, making them look away slightly. "You can't just jump to conclusions", she said. "This world's is full of surprises -"  
  
"Save the lecture", Raph said.  
  
Kida sighed angrily. People just didn't no the dangers. "Listen Doc, Dopey, Happy and Grumpy", she said to Leo, Mikey, Donnie and Raph. Raph's eyes narrowed even more when she called him "Grumpy", while his brothers stood there, mouths opens. "If you want my help you have to listen to me. You can't just walk across that ice and think everything's ok".  
  
"And why not, wicked queen?" Raph asked, throwing his own remark back.  
  
"Well, didn't you notice them?" Kida asked, pointing to the middle of the room.  
  
8 ninjas now stood in the middle of the stadium, each one holding weapons. They wore silver suits, with black bandannas over their heads. Two of them held katannas, and two of them held sais, two held nunchucks, and two held Bo staffs. Strangely, their eyes were covered and the guys were surprised when their invisible eyes locked on theirs, making them take a few steps back.  
  
Kida smiled at Raph. "Can you get pass them?"  
  
"Pft", Raph muttered.  
  
"You have to get pass them to get to the door", she said, looking at Leo, Donnie, Raph and Mikey. "Oh, and sorry for calling you dwarfs", she added with a small smile. With that, she vanished, leaving the guys with these 8 ninjas.  
  
"Hey, where'd she go?" Mikey asked.  
  
Leo shrugged. "C'mon", he said, pulling out his katannas and walking towards the ninjas with his brothers.  
  
Donnie and Mikey pulled out their weapons, while Raph pulled out his sais, but immediately put them back again, shaking his head. Raph knew that he wouldn't need his weapons. These punks were going down.  
  
Before Raph could think anymore, two ninjas holding sais came at him. Raph held out his arms, his hands fisted. The ninjas ran straight into his hands, knocking themselves down in a single punch. Kida watched this, sitting in a seat that looked over the stadium, unnoticed.  
  
"Impressive", she said quietly.  
  
Donnie looked at Raph and the unconscious ninjas on the floor next to him. He just managed to jerk his head back round when a Bo clashed with his. He ducked when another ninja tried to take his head off, and knocked him out when he came back up. One ninja remained standing looking at him. Donnie frowned, looking into the ninja's covered-up eyes, and shrugged.  
  
"Erm, heh, goodnight?" Donnie grinned, and whacked the ninja around the head with his Bo. He smiled at Raph, who was heading over to Mikey.  
  
Mikey faced Raph and grinned. "Hey Raph, how come you got two ninjas and I didn't?" Mikey asked, pointing to one ninja that was already on the floor, two nunchucks still in his / her hands. "Man, and to think Casey's missing this".  
  
Raph grinned and brought his arm back, facing his brother in a punching position.  
  
"Erm, Raph?" Mikey said, watching Raph's hand become level with his face. "W-what are you doing?" There was no way his brother would dare punch him THAT hard. Or even punch him for that matter.  
  
Raph fist flew towards Mikey, and he closed his eyes tightly. He heard a 'bang!' next to him, and after a few short seconds later he opened his eyes to see a ninja on the floor behind him, and Raph polishing his hand on his plastron, smiling.  
  
"Oh", Mikey grinned.  
  
"Peace of cake", Raph said.  
  
Mikey and Raph slapped each other a high three, and walked over to Leo who was putting his katannas in his shell and dusting off his hands. Two ninjas lay unconscious a few feet away from him, their own katannas lying on the floor next to them. Donnie came over, smiling slightly, and slapped Raph and Mikey a high three each.  
  
"Aww, and Leo had to use weapons", Raph said in a baby voice.  
  
Mikey and Donnie snorted, and muffled their laughter.  
  
Leo grabbed a katanna from his shell and it flew right near Raph's face and stayed there. "Watch it, Raph", Leo warned, wanting to find Master Splinter as soon as possible and go home. He looked Raph right in the eye to show he was serious. Leo knew that his brother wanted to find Splinter also, but this couldn't be made a joke of, and Raph was the king of sarcastic jokes.  
  
Raph narrowed his eyes and moved Leo's katanna aside with the tip of his finger. "Watch where ya pointing that thing, Leo", Raph said. "You don't wanna poke someone's eye out".  
  
"Guys, guys", Mikey said, coming between them. "Let's just get going, 'kay?"  
  
Leo put his katanna back on his shell and turned away from Raph. "Sure, Mikey", Leo said. "Let's get going". He headed to the door with his brother.  
  
"Man, that was easy", Donnie said, walking behind with Raph. The only reply he got was a quiet "yeah" because his brother in red was looking at the seats around the stadium, as if scanning them for someone.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
The guys found themselves on another yellow path. It was identical to the one they first started off on, and they watched the trains go past. Now that Kida had left them, they felt that they should choose carefully and, hopefully, they'd get lucky. Mikey, however, had his own way of choosing.  
  
"Inni, mini, moni, mo -"  
  
"Mikey", Raph groaned. "Stop it. That isn't gonna help!"  
  
Mikey shrugged. "Why don't we split up?" He suggested. "If we go in twos we'll cover more dimensions that way and we'll probably find Splinter quicker".  
  
Leo sighed. "We can't do that, Mikey. You heard what Keja said, there are loads of dimensions. We can't risk losing each other".  
  
"It's not a bad idea", Raph said. "Wouldn't it -"  
  
"No", Leo said firmly. "It wouldn't be a good idea and it isn't easier. I'm not going to split us all up. What if one of us gets trapped in a dimension and can't get out?" Leo shook his head. "No. No, we're not splitting up".  
  
"Fine. Whatever you say, fearless leader", Raph muttered.  
  
Donnie, hearing this, gave Raph a look before walking a few steps down the path, his brothers behind him. For some reason, Donnie got the feeling that his brothers were relying on him to pick a train, since he was always labelled the "Smart One", but he would feel so guilty if he ever suggested a dangerous dimension. Donnie watched a train go past him, then, remembering what Keja said, he held up his hand and said, "stop!" to the next train coming along. It stopped right in front of him, pausing a second before the doors swung open.  
  
Leo, Raph and Mikey, who were looking at the ground, lost in thought, looked up when Donnie had shouted, "stop!" They all looked at the small red train in front of them and smiled at Donnie. They were glad that their brother had picked one, even if it was probably a guess.  
  
Donnie smiled back. "Just guessing", he said.  
  
Leo nodded and patted his brother's shoulder. "Good guess, Donnie", he grinned, and walked onto the train. Mikey slapped Donnie another high three and then Raph lightly punched his shoulder.  
  
"If this is wrong", Raph said. "I'll kill you". But he smiled to show he was joking.  
  
Donnie smiled back and titled forward, bringing his body into a bowing position, one arm over his plastron. "Ladies first", he laughed. He followed Raph onto the train, the doors closing behind them, and rested in a seat opposite Mikey and Leo, who were having a small conversation. Mikey was asking Leo allsorts of questions.  
  
"Do you think we'll find Splinter?" he asked quietly.  
  
Leo's face waved over with thought, and he looked at the train floor (with it's strangely red carpet) before looking at Mikey. "Of course we will, Mikey", Leo said, putting a positive attitude towards it. "It'll probably just take time".  
  
Mikey, who wasn't fully convinced, just nodded and smiled.  
  
"Maybe Kida knows where he is", Mikey said, after a few minutes silence. He looked over at Raph and Donnie, expecting an answer off them, but their eyes were lost in thought, their heads tilting to the floor, and they didn't hear his voice.  
  
Leo shook his head. "I don't think she would, Mikey".  
  
"Why not?" Mikey asked, frowning.  
  
"Because . . ." Leo frowned. "I don't know. I just don't think she would, otherwise she would have told us about it . . . I think . . ."  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Er, Casey?" April asked. "Is it me, or are the guys missing?"  
  
"Hmm", Casey, sitting himself on the sofa in the turtle's lair, looked around slowly. April was standing up in front of him, looking around nervously. "They're missing", he said, leaning back on the sofa.  
  
"You don't care?" April demanded, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. "What about Splinter? Or Mikey? Or Ra -"  
  
"Wait! Don't say 'Raph'", Casey smiled. "You might bring him back".  
  
"Casey!" April smacked him over the head. "You'll be regretting you said that if they don't come back! Oh God". April ran a hand through her hair. "What if they don't come back? But where could they have gone?"  
  
"Chill, April. They'll be back".  
  
April wasn't convinced. She checked the guys' room for a third time, including Splinter's, which strangely had a puddle in it, but there was no sign of them. April knew they couldn't have gone far. Maybe they just went out for a pizza. But would it take all 5 of them to get a pizza? Normally only two of them went. Or maybe they went up top for some practice. April knew Splinter took them to practice in the shadows of the roofs sometimes, but it was morning, normally they went at night. But didn't Splinter cancel their practice today?  
  
"April. Stop looking around. They're not here", Casey said, watching her run from one room to another, her face set in thought.  
  
"I know they're not here!" April snapped, and went into the kitchen to make herself a coffee, the puddle in Splinter's room pushed to the back of her mind.  
  
"Women, they worry too much", Casey muttered, before lazily getting up from the sofa and going into the kitchen, hopefully to convince April that the guys were strong, and wherever they went, whether it was for a pizza or not, they would be back.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Man, I'm hungry", Mikey moaned, putting his hands on his plastron.  
  
Donnie and Raph had now fallen asleep, Donnie with his head on Raph's shoulder and Raph with one arm over an armrest, his head in his hand. Leo and Mikey were the only ones that remained awake. Mikey stayed awake because he was hungry, and Leo because he was too worried to sleep.  
  
Leo looked at Mikey. "We only had breakfast about an hour ago", he said.  
  
"I can't survive on that!" Mikey said.  
  
Leo rolled his eyes and got up when the train came to a halt. "Come on, Mikey. Wake Donnie and Raph up. We're here".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Donnie was easy to wake up, but Raph, well, that was another matter. After Mikey had shook his brother in purple awake, making him get up and stand at the doors next to Leo, he moved onto his brother in red, who was snoring softly. Mikey knew that when Raph snored he was in a deep sleep. He shook his shoulder gently.  
  
"Raph", he whispered. "Raph, wake up".  
  
Mikey shrugged and gave his brother a hard shove, more like a small punch. Raph shot up angrily, rubbing his eyes and looking at Mikey.  
  
"Oh good, you're up", Mikey said, as if he hadn't done anything.  
  
Raph frowned and stood up, stretching first.  
  
Mikey gave a small smile. "We're here", he said, walking over to the doors.  
  
Raph didn't say anything but walked over near his brothers, waiting for Leo to open the doors. He folded his arms and leaned against a poll that went through the ceiling and the floor. Raph sighed. Before Mikey had woken him up he had had a dream that they were all back home. Donnie typing away furiously on his computer, Mikey begging him to watch a movie, and Leo and Splinter meditating as always. It seemed so real that he didn't want to leave it, but it was only a dream and they never continue, no matter how much he wanted them to. Raph, though he hated to admit it - even to himself, was starting to think that Splinter was going to be a lot harder to find than they thought.  
  
And, indeed, he was right as soon as the train doors opened.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Third up. Thanks for the reviews Neosun (think I spelt your name right, heh) and Elle. This story doesn't seem to be getting as far as my others used to, but I'll still carry it on. I don't think this leaves you on a cliffhanger - maybe a small one - but I'm going away on holiday for 2 weeks in . . . hmm, couple of hours. Or I could already be there by the time this is posted! Well, peace out for 2 weeks!  
  
Luv tmnt_luver x). 


	4. Seperated

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"No way!" Raph said.  
  
The guys looked at the huge, 8ft hedged maze in front of them, and groaned. That's just great, they all thought sarcastically. Two starting points were at the side of them, and one was in the middle. There was a stone ceiling above them, so they couldn't jump over or anything. The turtles stepped off the train and looked at the three ways they could go.  
  
"I say that way", Mikey said, pointing to the middle.  
  
"Why?" Donnie asked.  
  
"No reason, just guessing", Mikey said.  
  
"We can't just guess", Leo said, looking down each one. The two at the side of them each turned a corner, so they couldn't see where it led. The one in front of them went so far down and then split itself into a junction, left or right, so they basically had 4 ways to go. They all could be never ending.  
  
"So, leader", Raph said, turning to Leo. "Any thoughts?"  
  
Leo shook his head. "None", he said quietly. A small wind picked up and their bandannas flew around their heads. There was no sky, so the guys didn't know how a wind was created, but they knew nothing was what it seemed. Leo sighed. Suddenly the idea to split up and go separate ways came to him, but he shook it aside, refusing to split his brothers up.  
  
"Could be traps", Donnie said, snapping Leo out of his thoughts.  
  
"You think?" he asked.  
  
Donnie shrugged. "Maybe".  
  
Leo looked at Donnie thoughtfully before looking down each hedged tunnel. Normally, the only way to solve a maze was to get through it, so there couldn't be traps, could they? For the first time, Leo had no idea what to do. Voices in his head told him to stop standing there and find Splinter, but Leo couldn't risk putting himself and his brothers in danger.  
  
"We'll have to just guess, and pray we're lucky", Leo said.  
  
Raph nodded. "Ok then, I guess middle".  
  
"Same here", Mikey said. Next to him, Donnie nodded.  
  
"But that splits up again", Leo said, sighing.  
  
"We don't have much choice, Leo", Raph said.  
  
Leo nodded. It had come to him that those 4 days to find Splinter just wasn't enough, not when they were getting dimensions like this. They would probably need more time, but they couldn't just request it. 4 days was all they were allowed, and it seemed as if they wasted most of it already, even though they'd only been there nearly 2 hours.  
  
Without realising, Leo started to walk down the middle pathway with his brothers. Mikey walked next to him, his tilted down, a small frown on his face. Raph and Donnie walked behind, looking up at the tall hedges as if something might pop out from them.  
  
They came to the junction and looked left and right. Both went straight and also turned around corners. Leo shrugged, thinking he should pick one quickly, and started walking left. His brothers followed, silently agreeing that they should just guess. The train went out of view, giving the turtles just green hedge to look at. They turned the corner and saw a dead end, but next to it was another way that lead right. The guys took that, quietly praying they could find the other side of the maze.  
  
They took many twists and turns as the maze started to form even more. Leo mostly lead the way as he was walking ahead with Mikey, but sometimes they would stop and decide which way to go, even though they were all guessing. The maze seemed to get bigger, and the turtles felt trapped since they could see no sky, just a cold stoned ceiling facing down at them.  
  
After an hour they stopped for a short rest, sitting on the smooth floor. Ahead of them was another junction, but they felt too fed-up to pick a way.  
  
"This isn't fair", Mikey said, sitting next to Leo opposite Donnie and Raph, their shells leaning against the hedge. "They took Splinter so why do we have to rescue him? Why can't Keja just give him back?"  
  
"Keja didn't take Splinter, Mikey", Donnie said. "He said that this world took Splinter and that if we wanted him back we have to rescue him, so we didn't have a choice".  
  
"But it isn't fair!" Mikey moaned.  
  
"No. No it isn't fair Mikey", Donnie said softly. "But what can we do?"  
  
"I thought that Kida was supposed to help us", Mikey said.  
  
"Don't look like it", Raph muttered, folding his arms.  
  
"I don't think she's allowed to actually show us the whole way to Splinter", Leo said thoughtfully. "That's probably why she left us, so she doesn't have to be torn between helping us and obeying the rules of this world".  
  
"Good thinking, Leo", Donnie said.  
  
"Then why did she start us off in the first place?" Raph asked.  
  
"Well, Keja said she was going to make sure the dimensions we go in aren't forbidden. Maybe that's why", Leo said.  
  
"Well maybe she doesn't want to make friends", Donnie suddenly thought up.  
  
"What?" Mikey asked.  
  
Donnie leaned forward and held out his hands. "Think about it. She said that her family died when she was young and Keja took her in. So, she'll have been here a long time. Keja said that so many people have been trapped here before us, but I bet my shell that a fair amount of people has succeeded. But, if Kida BONDS with any of them and they succeed, she'll be hurt badly if they go back home, and she has to stay here. Alone -"  
  
"And without any friends", Leo finished.  
  
"Exactly", Donnie said. "So, I bet that Keja tells her to try and help out as little as she can, because he don't want to see her get hurt when or if they leave. You saw how fatherly he acted towards her. They would have bonded if Kida's been here a long time".  
  
"Your right, Donnie", Leo said, making his brother grin slightly. "That's probably why she hardly said anything to us, and why she left so quickly".  
  
"Well I bet my shell she's watching us now", Raph said.  
  
"What?" Mikey repeated, frowning. All this information was confusing him. He wanted to ask Kida why she wasn't helping them, just in case Donnie's theory was wrong.  
  
"Come on, guys", Leo said, before Raph could answer his brother. "Talking about Kida won't get us anywhere". He got up, indicating for his brothers to do the same. "The sooner we find Splinter the better, even if Kida can't help us. We can't waste any time".  
  
They fell silent again after a small conversation when they reached the junction, wondering whether to go left or right. They decided right, and walked down it slowly. The pathway turned many corners and the turtles realised with a sudden jolt how thirsty they were becoming, in Mikey's case hungry. This sudden jolt expanded, and with a small gasp of horror they realised they'd have to go 4 days without food. 4 days! They would be able to, but it would make them weaker if they had to fight more often to get through dimensions.  
  
"Guys", Mikey said slowly, as if knowing this thought went through all of them like pricks of electricity. "What'll we do about food?"  
  
Leo, who was walking next to him again, shrugged. "I don't know, Mikey. I think we were all thinking the same thing. We'll have to miss out".  
  
"For 4 days?" Mikey yelled, shocked.  
  
"Got no choice, Mike". Raph said, walking behind him with Donnie. They all took another corner, walker at a slower pace than normal.  
  
"But I'm hungry!" Mikey said.  
  
"Yeah, we know", Leo said sadly, more to himself then his brothers. He knew that Mikey ate more than they did and that he could skip a meal, but not 4 days without food. Raph would be able to stand it, but wouldn't admit he was starving if his stomach growled. Donnie would try looking for food in the dimensions, if any berries grew in the forest if they reached it. Me, Leo thought, I'll just have to put a positive side to things, even if I am starving.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"They know about me", she whispered.  
  
Kida sighed, watching the guys from above. She was sat on top of the stone ceiling, looking through it. She wasn't spying on them, just making sure they didn't kill themselves in just 3 hours. Kida was glad that she had the ability to go from one dimension to another without taking a train, and that she knew which ones were dangerous and which ones weren't, since she had been to them all in the years that she had lived here. She sat, crossed legged on the ceiling, her arms leaning on her knees, and watched the turtles turn 5 more corners.  
  
Turtles, she thought. That was strange. She had seen allsorts of beings in this world, so when the turtles came they didn't scare her, but it was the first time she had seen 5ft mutant turtles. She knew each one was different, and knew their names without having to ask them. Leo seemed to be the leader, Donnie the smart one, Mikey the joker of them all and Raph the one who held all his emotions inside, a bit like her, though he held more anger towards her, and she knew that.  
  
Kida was shocked when Donnie had figured out her secret. She knew instantly then that he actually was the smart one. He didn't know if his theory was true, but it was. She wanted to help them but she couldn't. If she bonded with them, and they succeeded, she would be upset if they left and she had to stay here, carrying out her role as the princess of this place. She was also shocked that Donnie got his theory about Keja correct. He always told Kida to try not to help people, as she had bonded with people in the past and got hurt when they left. He allowed her to help occasionally and tried to protect her from getting hurt, as he always felt guilty if she ever did, since he was responsible for taking her family away from her in the first place.  
  
Kida felt her heart skip a beat as Raph looked up at the stone ceiling, but she knew that he couldn't see her, even if he did get a glimpse of her in the ice stadium. Kida felt guilty now that Raph knew she was watching them, even if he didn't know where she was. She had to watch them just in case they went into a really dangerous dimension. This maze one was harmless, but it had taken days for people to get out, as Kida had seen them with her own eyes. It was only small, but took many twists and turns, and a lot of lucky guessing.  
  
Kida gasped shortly when Raph's eyes locked on hers.  
  
No way! She thought, standing up and looking down into his suspicious face. There was no way that he could see her, this was just a coincidence. It had to be, no one else would be able to see her, unless Keja was looking up at her. Kida watched Raph's head turn as Donnie began talking to him. She felt her heart suddenly beating faster than normal speed. Turning around, she ran out of the room she was in. She needed to talk to the turtles. She needed to talk to Raph.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"I'm getting annoyed with all of this", Raph mumbled.  
  
"What?" Donnie asked. They were still walking behind Mikey and Leo, who were having their own small conversation.  
  
"This", Raph replied. "Walking around".  
  
"Well, we can't do much about it", Donnie said. He knew that Raph was annoyed because they weren't getting anywhere, and, judging by the shape and form of the hedges, Donnie had the biggest feeling that they had been down this pathway 5 times already. Maybe I should mention it, Donnie thought. But he wasn't a 100% sure, maybe 75%.  
  
"Haven't we been down here before?" Raph said, looking up at the hedges surrounding them and keeping his eyes on the ceiling for a few seconds.  
  
"No idea", Donnie said, looking at Mikey's shell.  
  
Raph looked at Donnie thoughtfully for a few seconds before looking at the back of Leo's head. Well, he didn't have much to look at, and picturing it as a good target for a pigeon made him smile, cheering him up a bit.  
  
Their feet thudded softly along the paths. The four turtles took many more turns and made small conversation with one another. Mikey and Leo talked the most, either about Splinter or about which way they should go. Donnie and Raph remained quiet. Donnie kept glancing up at the hedges, trying to picture them in his head just in case they passed them again and Raph, with a suspicious face, kept looking up at the ceiling.  
  
"What's so interesting about the ceiling?" Donnie asked, after watching his brother look up at the ceiling for the tenth time.  
  
Raph didn't reply, so Donnie looked up as well, wondering if Raph could see something that they couldn't. Leo and Mikey kept walking ahead and, unaware to them all, a hole appeared in the pathway in between them. Donnie and Raph's shouts were cut short as they fell through it, and it closed up straight after them, leaving Mikey and Leo in the maze alone. Mikey carried on talking to Leo, his brothers' disappearance unnoticed. Leo listened while Mikey talked, turning a corner and observing any danger. Though strangely, it was very quiet, except for Mikey's talking.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Ahhh! Ooof!" Donnie landed with a heavy 'thud' on his butt. He looked around the dark room he was now in and the ceiling, which showed no sign of a hole or opening. Donnie frowned for a short second, before realising something.  
  
"Raph?" Donnie shouted quietly. "Yo! Raph!"  
  
"'uet - umff - m'!" came a muffled voice.  
  
Donnie's frown curve downwards. He looked around him, but saw no signs of his brother. He knew Leo and Mikey hadn't fallen through because he saw the back of their shells just spilt seconds before he had fallen. It was that stupid hedge-maze ceiling that did it! He thought. But he badly hoped that they would notice them missing. Donnie sighed, he looked at the sitting position he was in, but shot straight up when he realised he had fallen on Raph's head.  
  
"Raph! Sorry! You ok?"  
  
Donnie helped his brother up and looked at Raph. "Sorry", he repeated.  
  
Raph swayed slightly and took in a deep breath. Donnie smiled slightly, but was still sorry for cutting his brother's breathing off for a few seconds. He let go of Raph's arm and felt his way across the walls in the tiny room they were in.  
  
Raph stood up straight and looked around. "Where are we?"  
  
Donnie shrugged. "Dunno", he answered, still feeling his away around the walls. After a few minutes silence, he found it. "Bingo!" Donnie smiled and tried the handle on the door he had just found. It creaked open, letting a small light fill the room.  
  
"Come on, Raph", Donnie said, and walked out of the room, with his brother in red silently following.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Raph? Donnie? Oh no . . ."  
  
Leo hadn't noticed that two of his brothers were missing until he turned a corner with Mikey and realised that they weren't making conversation anymore. Turning back, Leo and Mikey ran back the way they had just came, until they reached a pathway where they thought Raph and Donnie were with them last. Leo sighed angrily. This was why he didn't want them to spilt up! He'd never be able to find them. But he was positive that Raph and Donnie didn't do this deliberately.  
  
"What are we going to do, Leo?" Mikey asked, his puppy-dog eyes looking at his brother.  
  
Leo sighed again, and then looked at Mikey. "We carry on", he said. "If Donnie and Raph aren't in this maze, then that means they've been transported to another dimension or something, so we've got to get out of here".  
  
"You don't think they're hurt. Do you?" Mikey said, looking down each pathway in the maze, silently hoping that Donnie and Raph were playing a prank on them, though it was hardly likely.  
  
Leo's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't thought of that!  
  
"Hope not, Mike", he said, after a few seconds. He put a hand on his brother's shoulder and took a deep breath. "Come on". Leo smiled slightly. "I bet Donnie and Raph are looking for us right now, so we might as well do the same".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
The door that Donnie and Raph went through led to another small room with white walls and a white ceiling. There was a door in that one as well so Donnie opened it and they walked through. The walls and ceiling were black in this room, making in slightly darker, but a door was opposite them. They went through that. Another room with yellow walls and ceiling and a door hit them, and they went through that. Then another room with pink walls, a ceiling, and a door appeared and they went through that. The room now was all red, and they went through the door in there. It led them to a blue room, and they went through that . . .  
  
After room number 7, Raph got annoyed. He punched the purple walls that now surrounded the room they were in, and gritted his teeth when pain shot up his right arm. He sighed, and sat down on the floor with Donnie. There was no door in this room, just a small, old candleholder on the wall where the other doors were normally placed.  
  
They were trapped.  
  
"We could always go back", Donnie suggested quietly.  
  
Raph shook his head. "No point. Not when that first room we fell in had no way out. I can't see any way of getting outta here".  
  
Donnie sighed. "Well, maybe there's a secret passage".  
  
"Yeah right, Don", Raph said sarcastically, getting up. He started to walk over to the old candleholder, grabbing it tightly. "A secret passage. You know, this isn't fairy tale. I can't just grab this candleholder and think, "oh look, if I turn this the wall's gonna open up". To prove his point, Raph turned the candleholder. The wall behind him flew sideways like a side door.  
  
Raph looked at it wide-eyed, and then looked at Donnie.  
  
Donnie smiled. "And I always thought I was the smart one", he said, and walked down the dark tunnel that the passage way revealed. Raph followed him, growling to himself.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Kida ran through all the rooms Donnie and Raph had been through, and stopped when she came to the last one. She breathed heavily, trying to get some of her breath back. She was slightly shocked when she saw the secret passage open.  
  
"Whoa", she said to herself. "It normally takes hours for someone to figure THAT out". But she knew that these guys weren't stupid.  
  
After taking a deep breath, Kida carried on running down the dark tunnel, knowing that Donnie and Raph would be a pretty good distance away from her. She had seen them fall down the hole that appeared in the maze, but felt guilty that they were separated, because she knew where each set of 2 were.  
  
Kida stopped running when she heard voices.  
  
"I don't care what you say, Donnie", Raph voice echoed on the walls in the tunnel. "I still think it's stupid to take Splinter away from us. What has he ever done to deserve this? He shouldn't be trapped here . . . and neither should we . . ."  
  
Kida looked around a corner, leaning on the wall for support. She saw Donnie and Raph sitting down, leaning on each side of the walls and facing one another. Obviously they had stopped for a short rest.  
  
"I know, Raph", Donnie was saying. "I totally agree. But wouldn't you rather have him back instead of being trapped here with him for life? Wouldn't you rather be in the safety of our home right now?"  
  
Raph didn't answer. He looked at the tunnel floor.  
  
"Exactly", Donnie said quietly. "And the only way we can do that is to rescue him. I don't know why this world took Splinter, but it must have been something big".  
  
"But why Splinter?" Raph said, his face unreadable. "I just don't get it, Don . . ."  
  
"Same here, Raph", Donnie said.  
  
They fell silent, and Kida turned back around the corner to lean on the wall. Whoa, she thought, these guys must really care for Splinter. After hearing them speak, Kida felt more guilty every minute, especially now. It wasn't because of Raph seeing her earlier, it was because she knew where their brothers were, and they would work better in a 4 instead of in 2's. Kida sighed deeply. Maybe just this once . . .  
  
Kida turned the corner and looked at the turtles' sad faces.  
  
"Hey", she said, making them both look up. "Watcha doing here?" She already knew the answer, of course, but she didn't want them to know that.  
  
Raph didn't answer her so Donnie did. "We fell down a hole in a maze, Leo and Mikey are still in there, we think, and we came to loads of rooms by going through these doors. The last one led us down here. We just stopped for a short rest".  
  
"Hmm". Kida looked at Raph. "Need some help?"  
  
Raph's face showed anger towards her, but she ignored it. "I thought you wasn't allowed to help us?" he said, getting up along with Donnie.  
  
Kida smiled. "I am", she said. "But not all the time. Besides", she added. "You look like you could use some help".  
  
Donnie nodded and smiled. "Thanks".  
  
"Hey, no problem", Kida said. "I do this all the time".  
  
"Like James Bond", Raph muttered, referring to spying and helping.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Thanks for the reviews. I did have a good holiday thank you! * smiles brightly * Got a brilliant tan as well! Peace out! Sorry if there's any mistakes!  
  
t-u-r-t-l-e power!  
  
tmnt_luver x) 


	5. Seperated And Lost

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"Yes!" Mikey cried as he and Leo found another red train.  
  
"It could be the same one", Leo pointed out as they hopped on it. It slowly began to move away from the maze, as they could only tell from the shaking floor because there were no windows on these trains.  
  
"Don't care!" Mikey said, relieved. "I'm just glad to be out of there!"  
  
"Yeah", Leo agreed. "But I hope Raph and Donnie aren't still in there. I think we nearly searched the whole thing! An hour of looking and nothing!"  
  
"Well, let's just hope they're somewhere else", Mikey said quietly.  
  
Hopefully somewhere safe, Leo prayed silently.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Ok, up here", Kida said.  
  
Donnie and Raph looked at the dead end they had came to, and then looked up at the big vent above their heads, big enough for two people to crawl through side by side. It was slighter higher than their heads.  
  
Kida, being the same size as them, lifted up her arms and took away the front bit of the vent. She leaned it against the wall and turned back to the guys.  
  
"We've gotta cut through here", she said, seeing their confused expressions. "It leads back to the yellow paths. Otherwise, you're stuck".  
  
Donnie looked at Raph and then back to Kida. He nodded.  
  
"How do we know you're not leading us into a trap?" Raph asked, refusing to move unless he was positive that the vent was safe enough to crawl through.  
  
"Do I look that pathetic?" Kida asked, narrowing her eyes.  
  
Raph chose not to answer.  
  
"Fine", Kida said angrily. "I'll go in first if you're so scared".  
  
"I ain't scared!" Raph said back, anger penetrating his voice.  
  
Donnie, feeling an argument brewing, walked over to Kida and bent down, putting his hand on top of the other one. He smiled up at her politely. "I'll give ya a boost", he said, glancing at Raph.  
  
Kida smiled, though she was still looking angrily at Raph. "Thanks", she said as nicely as she could. Putting her hands on the edge of the vent's entrance, she used Donnie's hands to lift herself into it and crouch in a crawling position. She could only turn round a fraction to look at Donnie. Donnie nodded at her and she crawled forward in the dark vent, giving enough room for Donnie and Raph to climb in.  
  
Donnie cupped his hands together again and looked at Raph. "Get over here, Raph!" he said, in a more demanding voice than he had meant to. Then, realising that Raph and Kida obviously had something against one another, Donnie climbed into the vent first, his shell just hitting the top. Kida, luckily, could sit properly in it and she smiled at him.  
  
"Ready?" she asked.  
  
"All but one", Donnie sighed. He turned back to Raph. "Coming?"  
  
"I will if ya move up!" Raph hissed, putting his hands on the cold metal, ready to climb up.  
  
Donnie smiled politely at Kida again, silently asking her to move up. She understood, and shuffled forward a few metres, letting Donnie move up as well. He managed to get into a small sitting position, though it was quite uncomfortable, and his green cheeks glowed slightly red when he noticed that Kida had picked up on this.  
  
"Don't worry", Kida smiled. "It happens. I don't like it either, but it ain't that far to crawl. Heck, some people have even got stuck in here. Takes ages to get 'em out".  
  
The metal in the vent echoed loudly as Raph climbed up, clearly not happy that he'd have to crawl a good distance just to get to his brothers. He was positive that there was another way out, like climbing up the hole they had fallen down in the first place. But seeing Kida's smiling face made him narrow his eyes at her, and he forgot about another way out.  
  
"Come on", she said, crawling ahead of them. "I'm sure you don't wanna look at my butt for ages, so the sooner we're out than the better".  
  
Donnie laughed. "We always have Mikey's butt to look at whenever he sees a manhole and smells pizza. I'm sure the opposite sex isn't much different".  
  
Kida smiled back at him. She laughed. "How would I know? I never look at turtles' butts. In fact, you're the first set of mutants I've seen". She carried on crawling with Donnie and Raph following.  
  
"Look in the mirror", Raph said sarcastically. "You'll soon see one".  
  
"Raph!" Donnie hissed. Why had he just taken a disliking to her?  
  
Kida carried on crawling and managed to look behind her shoulder, pass Donnie, to Raph. She gave him a cold look. "Do you have a death wish?" she asked. She definitely knew where she was going because she kept her gaze on Raph and crawled at the same time.  
  
Raph smiled. "Are you threatening me?"  
  
Kida just growled at him, reminding Donnie of Raph so much, and she turned back round and carried on crawling. Ok, so maybe Raph had seen her in that ice stadium and that she felt guilty for, but she was getting really annoyed of his sarcastic remarks. Oh well, Kida thought, two can play at that game.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
The train Mikey and Leo were on came to a stop.  
  
Slowly, the two brothers got up, a train of thoughts running through both their heads. Where was Donnie? Where was Raph? Were they still together? And most importantly, would they be able to find them? As if knowing they were both thinking the same thing, Leo and Mikey just looked at each other for a few seconds, silently wondering if they could save Splinter and find their brothers.  
  
Leo snapped himself out of his thoughts. What was he thinking? It was as if he was giving up already. Sighing angrily for even thinking such negative thoughts, Leo walked over to the train doors and pulled them open, with Mikey behind him.  
  
"It's dark", Mikey said, peering over Leo's shoulder.  
  
"Very dark", Leo agreed, keeping his hands on the train doors. It was so black that not even the ninja eye could see an online of the room, if that's what they were in. Cautiously, Leo stepped inside, and blackness surrounded him. He heard Mikey step in after him, though he could not see his brother in orange, nor the train. It was as if this world swallowed everything in blackness, whether it was alive or not. Underneath his feet, Leo could feel carpet, but he didn't know why it was there.  
  
"Mikey, you ok?" Leo asked, trying to at least get a glimpse of his brother. But Mikey couldn't be seen and Leo's heart stopped when he heard the train running along its tracks.  
  
Mikey didn't speak, and Leo felt a chill run through his lungs.  
  
"Mikey? You there?" Leo didn't dare yell because of what might be in here with him. Suddenly, he felt scared. Scared that something had happened to Mikey, or something had caught him.  
  
"Mikey!" Leo raised his voice a little higher. "Speak to me, bro!"  
  
"Leo . . ." a soft voice sounded out.  
  
"Mikey?" Leo began walking towards the voice, and then slowly started jogging. He couldn't see a thing. This bothered him because Mikey was standing next to him about 5 seconds ago, so surely he couldn't have gone far. Leo hit something, then he realised with a jolt that it was a wall. He ran his fingers over it, searching for a door or something, but nothing touched his hands. Leo pulled out one of his katanna and made a small scratch in the wall. Slowly, he began to walk close to the wall, following it around the room, one hand holding his katanna and the other one sliding across the wall. When Leo reached the small scratch he created, he realised that the room wasn't even that big.  
  
So where was Mikey?  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Ok, this way".  
  
Kida led Donnie and Raph round quite a few corners before they finally reached another vent cover. Raph sighed with relief. 20 minutes of crawling and looking at Donnie's butt was not the most pleasant thing in life. He watched Kida bring her legs underneath her and kicked the cover of the vent roughly. It landed with a 'clang' but Raph couldn't see beyond Donnie and her.  
  
Kida swung her legs over the edge and jumped down a few feet. She looked up and waited for Donnie and Raph to jump down. Donnie struggled to get his legs over the edge so he didn't have to fall down face first, but he managed it, and was shortly followed by Raph, who landed with a 'thud' on his feet.  
  
Kida lifted the vent cover back up and placed it back over the dark exit. It vanished before their eyes and she turned back round to face them, bending over to wipe the dirt that was on the knees of her jeans and on her butt.  
  
She smiled at them when she stood up straight. It was then that Donnie and Raph realised that they were back where they started, standing on the yellow path that sat next to the train tracks either side of them. Loads more yellow paths were over the two tracks, way too many to count.  
  
"I can't help you anymore, I'm afraid", Kida said, making them both look back at her. She smiled apologetically. "I'll try and see how far your brothers have got".  
  
"How are you going to do that?" Donnie asked.  
  
Kida glanced at Raph before answering. "I know this place inside and out", she said simply. "I can always figure out where people are".  
  
"Can't you take us to our brothers?" Donnie asked.  
  
Kida looked at him, her eyes unreadable. "No", she said softly.  
  
"Why the hell not?" Raph demanded.  
  
"I just can't", she said. Donnie's theory about her suddenly popped up inside his head, but he let Kida carry on. "I'm not allowed really, this was kinda a one-off. Sorry. But I'll be watching over you, remember you're not totally alone".  
  
Before they could ask her any more questions, she vanished with a slightly sad expression on her face, leaving Raph and Donnie alone.  
  
"She'll be spying on us more like", Raph muttered.  
  
"I don't know why you don't like her", Donnie said, and he head off up the path.  
  
Raph followed him, surprised at himself for not telling any of his brothers that Kida was always watching them, though Donnie now knew that. But he was annoyed that she wasn't helping them. That she was just watching them as if they were characters from a movie and she was waiting for them to screw up.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Leo ran from one corner of the room to the other and, as he walked around the room, he realised that there was just four walls and no train anymore. It had deserted him. There was no trap door or anything, as Leo soon found out when he stretched up one hand and could touch smooth ceiling. Putting his katanna away, Leo knew that he was trapped. He had a horrible feeling that Mikey was still on the train. That what he heard wasn't Mikey getting off, but instead were the doors closing. Sighing, Leo leaned against a wall before sinking down it. It was then, at that precise moment, that Leo knew he was alone, and that the only way out was if someone found him. The only problem was, he had a feeling that only one person could find him, and she was not allowed.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Kida watched Donnie and Raph pick a train and then made herself visible again. She watched it speed along the tracks and then vanished out of sight before she started walking along the yellow path. She couldn't hold her invisible powers for long, only for about 10 minutes, but she was only supposed to use them in an emergency. Strangely, she felt as though she had to watch Raph and Donnie, making sure they chose their next train right. Luckily, they did.  
  
A strange feeling waved over Kida. As a train zoomed past her she gazed at it sharply, trying to guess if someone was inside it. A turtle was banging on the doors of the train, but it was gone in a blink, along with the orange bandanna. Kida closed her eyes and saw another one, sitting down, his eyes closed also.  
  
"Great", Kida said angrily. "Try and get them together and then two of them get separated. That's just brilliant".  
  
Kida knew immediately that she couldn't help them. Keja wouldn't want that. Sighing, she carried on walking. Why the hell do I have to see everything? She thought, rage pumping through her blood. It's not like I want to! I hate this princess stuff. This - though I hate admitting it - spying stuff. God damnit! Raph was right, dead right. This looking-over-people stuff is a load of -  
  
"Something wrong Kida?" Keja asked her.  
  
Kida jumped. Where the hell did he come from? He was standing in front of her, his hands deep in the pockets of his long coat.  
  
"No, nothing", she replied quickly.  
  
"You seemed to be thinking about something", he said, gazing at her as though trying to look into her mind.  
  
"No - I'm ok. I was just . . ." she looked at him, sighing. ". . . thinking".  
  
"Anything you want to talk about?" Keja asked.  
  
"No. No - it's ok. Forget it".  
  
"You sure?"  
  
Kida breathed deeply. "I'm . . . positive", she replied, struggling to get her words out. What she really wanted to ask was if she could go help the turtle in blue. Leonardo. There was no way he was going to get out of that room unless another train travelled there, and that wasn't going to happen, it never happened, not if she didn't get on the right one and go there. Only she and Keja knew the dimensions, but he wouldn't help the very same people he set a task to.  
  
Keja raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem -"  
  
"Ok, I'm not positive, alright?" she interrupted, a little too loudly. She looked at him, breathing quite heavily. "I helped the red and purple one", she confessed, knowing he would know who she was on about. "They were stuck and I helped them. Now they're going to find their brothers. But, one's trying to break a door down that a train closed on him. The other is stuck and can't get out unless I help, and they've barely been here 4 hours!"  
  
She stopped, catching her breath back as she said it all in one go.  
  
"But", she carried on, "you won't let me help".  
  
"I never said that you couldn't -", Keja began.  
  
"I want to help", she admitted. "At least let me get them together again, please?"  
  
"I -"  
  
"And I promise I'll leave them to it!" Kida said seriously.  
  
"Kida!"  
  
Kida stopped talking and looked up at her Master. He looked back at her with a small smile on his face, though it was barely seen. His beard hid his features and Kida smiled back at him, remembering Mikey's 'Dumbledore' comment.  
  
"And I promise I won't 'bond'", she said, answering his unsaid question.  
  
Keja looked at her for a few seconds, watching her aqua eyes silently beg at him, her hair blowing around her face, reflecting a younger version of her mum. He trusted her, and knew that she wouldn't bond anyway because she was able to block out friendship. He had already seen and heard the sarcastic remarks she threw at Raph. But that Donnie, he seemed the friendly type, and especially so did Mikey. In fact, they all did, but Raph proved to not want to bond.  
  
"Just this once", he said slowly, after thinking about it for a couple of minutes.  
  
Kida smiled, and then shot down the yellow path. Keja watched her stand in front of a train, shout "stop", and then jump on it. She knew where to go. It was the blue one she was going to get first.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Leo! LEO!"  
  
Mikey banged the door with his fist as hard as possible. After a few minutes they hurt so much that he had to stop, admitting defeat for being unable to open the doors and letting the train take him to whichever dimension it was heading towards. He couldn't believe that the doors had just slammed in his face! What if something happened to Leo? What if something happens to me? Mikey thought with a shock. He had no idea where he was going and now he knew why Leo never wanted them to spilt up. Sighing, Mikey put a hand on his head, praying that whatever dimension he went to next would be an easy one.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"What are you muttering about?" Donnie asked, looking opposite at Raph who had been muttering throughout the whole train ride, and they hadn't even stopped yet! "You're not still mad at Kida, are you? She helped us out a great deal, ya know."  
  
"I just don't trust her, that's all", Raph admitted. "She's so sarcastic!"  
  
Donnie rolled his eyes and stared at Raph, not saying anything.  
  
"What?" he asked. "She is!"  
  
"And you're not?" Donnie asked, leaning forward towards his brother. "Raph, she helped us out of a tight situation. How can you not trust her?"  
  
Raph shrugged. "You didn't see her, Don! That ice stadium, she was watching us, I saw her! I swear I saw her in that stupid maze as well. Explain that? You're supposed to be the smart one. How do you explain that?"  
  
"She has to watch us -"  
  
"Spy on us -"  
  
"WATCH us, Raph", Donnie answered back. "I didn't say spy, you did. Keja said she was going to watch over us, and if that means helping us I trust her enough to let her continue to watch us, so stop moaning about it!"  
  
Raph narrowed his eyes at his brother, who did not normally snap back.  
  
Silence filled the train until Raph asked, "Do you think Leo and Mikey are ok?"  
  
"I think so", Donnie replied, sure of his answer. "I mean, it's gonna take more than a silly dimension to split them up, don't you think?"  
  
"Hmm", Raph simply replied.  
  
()()()()()()()() 


	6. Dodgy Trains And Hospitals

Dimensional Adventure  
  
A soft sound echoed around the room. Leo stood up immediately and pulled out his katannas, his shell pressed firmly against the wall. He heard footsteps and knew that someone was in the room with him. He held his breath, ready to attack this person as soon as they got closer. The person was walking along the wall he was pressed against and Leo moved forward, silently, and then faced the owner of the noise. He could just see an outline of someone and, with the speed of a true ninja he ran forward and pushed both of his katannas in the wall, trapping the person in between them. Though his katannas only dug into the wall a mere few inches, Leo could feel the person's sharp breathing on his beak.  
  
"Show yourself!" Leo demanded. He kept his katannas firmly against the wall and stared at the faint outline of this person. He didn't know how anyone could show themselves in such a dark room, but Leo knew that nothing was what it seemed.  
  
The person took a sharp inhale. "Leo . . . It's - me . . ."  
  
A flame appeared in between Leo and Kida. The small room lit up and Leo saw that Kida was holding a lighter, her quite brown face a slightly lighter colour. His katannas remained in the wall as he looked around the room. They were opposite the train track, on which a red train sat, the opened doors waiting for them. Leo definitely knew that they weren't there when he was on his own.  
  
Turning round, Leo pulled his katannas away from the wall and put them back in his shell. He looked at Kida's shocked face.  
  
"I - I'm sorry", he said quickly.  
  
Kida nodded and headed towards the train before the lighter burned her fingers. Leo followed her and they hopped on. The flame died from Kida's hand and Leo looked back in the dark room before the doors closed on his face and the train made its journey along the tracks. He took a seat opposite Kida, letting her see the unasked questions that marked his face. First, she held up her lighter.  
  
"I always carry one with me. Just in case people keep getting trapped in that room, and trust me, so many people do". She put the lighter in the front pocket on her black jeans. "A torch would be too big to carry around".  
  
Leo nodded. "I'm sorry", he repeated. "Did I scare you?" He knew that he did definitely scare her with his ninja skills.  
  
Kida smiled, "Yeah, kinda".  
  
"Sorry".  
  
"Don't worry about it", she said, waving away his apology. Truthfully, he had sacred her to death, though Kida managed to keep a straight face about it. She didn't know how he learned martial arts, and she was curious, but asking would just make things harder for her.  
  
"How did you know where I was?" Leo asked.  
  
Kida smiled again. "I'm watching ya, remember?"  
  
Leo smiled and nodded.  
  
"Anyway", Kida said, praying that Leo didn't ask her how she got there. "I'm going to take you back to the yellow paths so you can pick another train and start over. Mikey's ok, don't worry about him. I'll try and get him back to you but it's hard travelling from one place to another by train - each one comes at a different time. Raph and Donnie are fine, the only thing you can do is carry on your journey, your brothers will meet you along the way".  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I grew up in this place", Kida replied, pulling her lighter out and examining it. "Looking for your brothers will just cut down your time, so the best thing to do is carry on - if I can't get your brothers to you then you'll just have to hope you can find your Master. Trust me, if just one of you finds your Master than you can all go home. This world can't separate you".  
  
"How do you know all this?" Leo asked, resting his elbows on his knees and cupping his hands together. He leant forward towards Kida a little.  
  
Kida smiled. "I just know. I've been here a long time".  
  
"Erm, how long?" Leo asked, not wanting to interfere in Kida's personal life.  
  
She shrugged, turning her lighter on and off. "About 7 or 8 years", she said.  
  
"You don't -", Leo said, pointing to her lighter. "You don't, erm, well -"  
  
Kida looked at her lighter than back at Leo, confusion covering her face, then she sat up straight in her seat. "What me?" she asked shocked, but then she gave out a small laugh. "Hell no! Gross!"  
  
Kida got up and Leo did the same. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "The train will stop in a bit -"  
  
The train stopped so sharply that Leo was forced to the end of the train, hitting his shell sharply. He held out his arms and stopped Kida before she could hit his plastron, the thought of being winded did not appeal to him. The train rolled forward a bit and then started to roll backwards. It stopped with such force that Kida was thrown forward, landing on her stomach but holding her hands out so she didn't fall flat on her face. Leo had clung tightly on to the edge of a seat so he didn't fall on her.  
  
Kida waited until the train made no more movement before getting up.  
  
"Ok, that's the last time I take this one!" She turned to Leo. "Thanks", she said, rubbing her knee where she had banged it. "Are you ok?"  
  
Leo stood up straight. "Yeah. What happened?"  
  
"Oh, well, this one always does that when it stops", Kida explained. "Though I didn't know which one I had picked until it actually did stop. Only 2 trains lead to that room you were in. I didn't know which one your brother was on so I just picked this one. Sorry 'bout that", she added.  
  
Leo nodded. "It's ok. Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, pointing at her knee.  
  
Kida stood up straight. "No, probably just a bruise, I'm ok. Come on, let's get out of here before we get thrown around again - sometimes I think the trains have a mind of their own".  
  
Leo smiled slightly. "Maybe they do".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"OW! OUCH!"  
  
Raph drummed his two fingers and thumb on the floor of the train and looked up into Donnie's face. His brother was lying on his plastron on Raph's shell. Raph rested his cheek in his free hand and sighed. The train was still moving slowly.  
  
"Ok, Donnie", Raph said slowly, "explanation please".  
  
"I don't kn - whoa!"  
  
Donnie flew from Raph's shell and hit the end of the train with his shoulder. He struggled into a sitting position and watched Raph do the same. His brother was just about to stand up when the train came to a sharp stop again, sending Raph flying into Donnie, who just managed to grabbed his brother's shell before he got crushed by it. Raph looked over his shoulder at Donnie.  
  
"I'm getting bored of this", he said.  
  
Donnie nodded. "Same here -"  
  
The train screeched to another stop and Raph flew forwards, landing on his plastron again. Donnie landed on Raph's shell for a second time and he breathed out deeply as it winded him slightly. Raph went back to drumming his fingers on the floor and Donnie put his hands either side of Raph, so that they rested on the floor and he could lift himself up again. Donnie hauled himself off Raph and he walked over his brother before turning around to help him up. He grabbed Raph's hands and heaved him up. Donnie rubbed his banged shoulder before turning to Raph.  
  
"Ok, I think it's - what's that?"  
  
Raph looked from Donnie's finger to a small, 5cm cut on his leg, just below his knee. Blood trickled down from it and he shrugged.  
  
"Musta scraped it against on of the seats", he said.  
  
"Well, we should get that cleaned up", Donnie said, taking his hand away from his shoulder and heading towards the door.  
  
Raph smiled slightly. "Yeah right, with what?" he asked, following his brother. "There's nothing around these dimensions and unless you can just make some bandages magically appear, there's nothing you can do about it".  
  
Donnie pulled open the doors and smiled. "You were saying?"  
  
Raph looked over his brother's shoulder and shivered slightly. He gazed down the deserted hospital corridor that was facing him and turned his head towards several doors that went along either side of it. Raph thought that it must have been a real hospital because of the smell that hit them when Donnie had opened the doors. A sign was on the right hand side and they both turned to look at it, leaning out of the door at the same time to read it:  
  
FIRST-AID CORRIDOR: First floor.  
  
EMERGANCY ROOM: Second floor.  
  
TRAIN EXIT: Third floor.  
  
MAZES: Fourth floor.  
  
DIMENSIONS AND REALMS: Fifth floor.  
  
HOSPITAL ROOMS: Sixth floor.  
  
"Riiiiight", Raph said slowly. "This is the weirdest hospital I've ever seen".  
  
"You've never been IN a hospital", Donnie pointed out.  
  
"Doesn't mean I haven't seen one", Raph replied.  
  
Donnie shrugged and stepped out onto the cool floor. He didn't know how, well, medical a hospital could smell. Mikey wouldn't like the smell in here, Donnie thought, sniffing the air. It smells like the medicine I give to him if he's ever sick. Donnie turned to Raph who had jumped off the train.  
  
"Ok", he said. "This must be the first floor because it didn't say that this place has a ground floor. Or, it could be the train exit but I don't think it is because the train wouldn't drop us off at the exit".  
  
"And you know that . . . how . . .?" Raph asked, looking around.  
  
Donnie shrugged again. "Just a guess. If this is the first aid corridor than we can clean your cut up and then go to the third floor. There must be a set of stairs around here or summit, but we'll see to you first".  
  
"There's nothing wrong with me!" Raph argued.  
  
Donnie looked at the droplets of blood that fell on the floor from Raph legs and then looked back at his brothers. "Well I don't care if your trail of blood may be useful - it's off-putting, so we're cleaning ya up".  
  
Raph growled quietly. "Fine".  
  
"Fine", Donnie said. He walked over to the first door on his left. "Come on".  
  
Raph walked to the door and Donnie pushed it open. He peeped inside before walking in. Raph followed Donnie and saw a plain hospital room. A bed sat in the middle of it against a wall and some cupboards were lined across the walls. A bedside table sat next to the bed with some red roses laid on it. In the corner stood a metal sink and a mirror cabinet was stuck above it. Donnie started looking through the cupboards for a first aid kit and Raph plonked himself on the bed, listening out for any sounds of movement or any sign of life.  
  
"Aha! Bingo", Donnie smiled, picking up a first aid kit out of the top draw of the bedside table and opening it. He grabbed some bandages, tape and cotton wool. He grabbed a small beaker from one of the cupboards and filled it up with water from the sink before kneeling down in front of Raph.  
  
"Don't you think it's strange? That this place is deserted?" Raph asked, watching his brother dip some cotton wool in the water and clean his cut with it.  
  
"Maybe it isn't deserted", Donnie replied. "Maybe some corridors are full".  
  
"Maybe", Raph said.  
  
Donnie chucked the cotton wool in a bin that stood near the small beside table and wrapped a bandage around Raph's leg. He taped it tightly so it wouldn't fall down and it look like a normal wristband. Raph jumped off the bed as Donnie put everything back where he found it.  
  
"Thanks, Doctor Donnie", Raph smiled.  
  
"Hey, catchy", Donnie replied, laughing. "Come on, let's find the third floor".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
The train came to a complete stop and Mikey got off, rubbing his head where he had been thrown into the door. He could feel a small bump on the top of his head where he had banged it. Definite bruise, Mikey thought. He took his hand away from his head and looked around. He frowned at the dark corridor he was facing and then looked at a sign on the wall, squinting his eyes so he could read it properly:  
  
SNAKE PIT: Down the corridor.  
  
SPIDER DEN: Down the corridor, on the left.  
  
LIONS: Down the corridor, on the right.  
  
WOLVES: Down the corridor, second door on the left.  
  
WASPS AND BEES: Down the corridor, second door on the right.  
  
Mikey quickly turned back round and jumped on the train, deciding immediately that he was NOT going down there, no matter how much he would get thrown around when the train stopped again. The doors closed as he sat down and the train went along the track. Mikey hoped that the train would take him back to the yellow paths, that way he might see his brothers walking along them. He didn't like being on his own, with no one to talk to. Maybe I'll see Kida again, Mikey thought hopefully. But when Donnie's theory popped up in his head, the hope that had just sprung up in his heart disappeared.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Hey, thanks for everything, Kida", Leo said.  
  
They were now safely off the train and on the yellow path, watching loads of other trains zoom at light speed past them. Leo gazed at them, letting each one tangle his bandanna tails around his head. He turned back to Kida and saw her pulling a hair bobble out of her pocket then putting her hair into a loose, neat plait. Some layered strands covered her face, still whipping around as more trains travelled past them.  
  
"No problem", Kida said, flicking her long plait over her shoulder. Her aqua eyes looked into Leo's blue ones for a split second before she turned around and starting making her way up the yellow path.  
  
"Hey, Kida, wait", Leo said and she turned back around. "Do you, erm - well - do you know when my brothers are gonna meet up? I figured that -"  
  
"Sorry, Leo", Kida said, knowing what he was on about. "I just know where you all are and getting you together is a bit too hard of a task for me, I've never had to deal with 4 people at once. But I don't know WHEN you're going to meet up, it's just a feeling I have, you might not even meet up. Sorry".  
  
Leo's sad expression made a twinge of guilt hit Kida's heart.  
  
"S'ok", he said quietly.  
  
"Hey, don't worry", she said, "just carry on with your journey and I'll try and get you and your brothers back together. Make sure you're careful, ok? But with such speed and skill, you might not have to be".  
  
Leo smiled. "Ok. Thanks".  
  
"It's ok", Kida smiled. "See ya later".  
  
Leo watched her walk down the path until she was out of sight. He turned around and walked the opposite way, looking at each train go pass. How was he supposed to know which one to take? Guessing was the only answer.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Mikey leaned back in his seat, trying his hardest not to fall asleep. This train journey was lasting forever, and Mikey had a horrible feeling that where it led him wasn't going to be very pleasant. Sighing, Mikey let his eyes close before immediately opening again. It wouldn't be very good if he fell to sleep. Mikey prayed that he would meet up with Leo again. His older brother always knew what to do and Mikey didn't have a clue where to go. He was really beginning to hate this. At least Donnie and Raph were together and he was on his own -  
  
"Hey Mikey". Kida smiled above him.  
  
Mikey stood up to face her properly. How did she get on here? Mikey looked around and could tell that the train was definitely still moving. Ok, he thought. I'm not on my own. He smiled at Kida.  
  
"How'd you get here?" he asked.  
  
"Me? Oh, I can't explain it. I just have this thing where I can go from one train to another", Kida said. "Teleport, if you like".  
  
"Wow, cool!"  
  
"Yeah, guess so", Kida said. "But I can only do it if someone else is on the train".  
  
"Boy, am I glad to see you, though!" Mikey said, smiling.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well", Mikey said, "we turtles get a little lonely sometimes". Mikey didn't want to say that he didn't have a clue what to do with these stupid trains and that he was glad to see her because she knew her way around.  
  
Mikey sat down opposite Kida. "So", he said, "what are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, I've just took Leo back to where he first started. Earlier I led Donnie and Raph back to the starting point as well, and now, I'm doing the same for you".  
  
"How?" Mikey asked. "This train won't stop".  
  
Kida smiled and got up. She walked over to the end of the train and tapped the wall with her knuckles. "Give it a minute", she said. "It'll turn round and head for the beginning".  
  
Mikey got up again. "How did you do that?"  
  
"It's a code", Kida said. "Just tap the wall and it'll head somewhere else. They don't all head back to the beginning, but they do head somewhere else".  
  
Mikey grinned. "Great!"  
  
"Yep", Kida nodded. "But sometimes they stop -"  
  
Kida suddenly flew backwards into Mikey and they both fell to the floor. Mikey landed with a 'thud' on his shell and Kida landed on top of him, her back on his plastron. They both hit the wall as the train stopped a second time.  
  
" - sharply", Kida finished, standing up again. "I hate these trains -"  
  
The train jolted again and Kida flew into the wall behind her. Mikey let out a "whoa!" and fell on his front, sliding down the floor on his plastron. He grabbed the poll that went into ground near the train door to stop himself banging into Kida. She began to walk forward towards Mikey but the train gave another jolt and she hit the wall again, knowing her back was going to be bruised. What it must be like to have a shell, she thought, picking herself up again and heading for Mikey. He picked himself up also, and wiped his hands on his plastron.  
  
"Ok. That winded me a little", Mikey said, clutching his plastron. "Not good".  
  
Kida winced and put her hands on the base of back where she had hit it. She pressed it and knew that it would hurt now whenever she would bend over. "Not good's right", Kida agreed, rubbing her back. "Ow, man, that hurt".  
  
"You ok?" Mikey asked.  
  
Kida winced again, but she smiled. "Yep. I'm fine. You?"  
  
Mikey nodded, taking his hands off his plastron. "Fine. It better not do it ag -"  
  
The train screeched to another stop and Kida gripped the poll nearest to her. Mikey gripped the other one and they both clung onto them as the train kept going up and down, stopping sharply each time. Kida wrapped her arms around the poll tighter until the train finally stopped.  
  
"Quick", Kida said. "Let's just get off until it does it again".  
  
"I'm way ahead of ya!" Mikey said, letting go of the poll and grabbing the door handles. He pulled the doors apart and jumped onto the yellow path, breathing in the fresh air. Kida jumped out after him, rubbing her back again.  
  
"Yowch", Mikey said sympathetically. "That must have hurt".  
  
Kida smiled slightly. "I hit my butt more than my back", she said.  
  
"Oooh", Mikey winced. "That'll hurt when sitting down for a while".  
  
"Don't I know it", Kida said, watching the train leave the side of the path and speed off into the distance. She looked around for Leo, but he wasn't there so Kida figured that he must have picked a train.  
  
"I have to go, Mikey", Kida said apologetically. "I can't help you anymore, but maybe I can fix the trains".  
  
"You can't help me?" Mikey said sadly. "I guess it is cheating if you just lead us straight to Splinter. Don't worry, I understand".  
  
Kida smiled. "You'll find Splinter, I'm sure of it".  
  
"You think so?" Mikey asked, perking up.  
  
"Yeah", Kida said honestly. "Just try your best. Pick a train and just carry on. I'm sure you'll fine your brothers on the way. 5 hours and you're not going to give up now, are you?"  
  
"No way!" Mikey grinned.  
  
Kida grinned back. "I'll still be watching you, don't worry, you'll do fine".  
  
Mikey smiled and watched as she disappeared silently, leaving him alone. He was slightly worried because he saw her hit her back a little too hard. It was ok for him, he had a shell to protect his back, and a plastron to protect his front, but Kida had connected her back twice with a solid wall, and nothing had protected her from it. Shaking these worries from his head, Mikey walked towards the tracks and looked around, thinking about which train he should take.  
  
()()()()()()()() 


	7. Flickers Of Hope

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"Casey . . . Casey, you idiot! . . . CASEY!"  
  
April sighed crossly and stared down at Casey on the turtles' sofa. The idiot had fallen asleep, while April was still pacing up and down, worrying until her brain throbbed. She had to phone in at work so she could wait for the turtles if they returned. IF. April hated that word, but she couldn't help it popping up in her head. The only question that was nagging her was what if they didn't return? She'd been waiting 5 hours now with Casey and they hadn't come back. During those 5 hours they had done nothing but grab some grub, but neither of them had been hungry. It was only until the fifth hour grew nearer that Casey had dropped off.  
  
It wasn't that April was angry with Casey. She was angry with herself. The fact that she didn't go out and search for them nagged at the back of her mind. But she knew that the sensible thing to do was wait for them. She couldn't sum up the energy to think of where they could be. Splinter especially. He never really went out, unless it was to see her.  
  
April shook her head away from these thoughts and turned her attention back to Casey. She could feel the anger rise inside of her but she refused to take it out on him. It wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault they were missing. Bending over, April shook Casey's shoulder. He groaned and pushed his cheek further in the sofa cushions, making him look very childish. April stifled a giggle. Casey looked so handsome sometimes that she just couldn't help feeling lucky she'd met him. He was so protective of her as well, something every woman loved. But this schoolgirl feeling inside her had to stop because he just had to wake up!  
  
"Casey", April whispered, but then she knew that wouldn't do so she raised the volume in her voice. "Casey!"  
  
God he was useless, April thought. Ok, that was it. April shook him fiercely so that he moved onto his back, his face still sleeping peacefully. He was hard to get up as well, that was the main problem. April sighed. She didn't like to do this but she had to. She lifted up her hand and brought it back, and then swung it forward so it connected with his face, giving off a loud 'slap!'  
  
Casey just let off a groan and opened his eyes sleepily, bringing his hand up to his face where April had slapped it, a frown appearing on his forehead.  
  
"Hey . . ." he said grumpily before looking at April, knowing that she was the key to the pain that had appeared in his left cheek. She just glared at him, and the first thought that entered Casey's mind was "what the hell have I done now?" She'd been quite snappy with him, though he wasn't going to be the one to point that out.  
  
The thought of how handsome he was fled from April, and she put one knee on the sofa and looked down at him angrily, her hand still in mid-air from hitting him.  
  
"How could you just fall asleep like that?" April demanded. "Casey? Our friends are missing and you just think you can drop off as if you've just had an instant heart attack and died! You don't realise how worried I am, do you? I had to take the rest of this week off work because I want to be here if the guys come back. IF, Casey! What if they don't? Haven't you even considered the situation here?"  
  
Casey blinked rapidly at her. This was not very April-like.  
  
He pulled himself up so his back leaned on the sofa arm, rubbing his aching neck before he spoke to April, choosing his words carefully so she wouldn't explode at him. "Listen April, I'm just as worried as you are. You can't explode at me just because I fell asleep, you should have told me if I was dropping off. As for the so-called situation, what do you want me to do? There's nothing we can do but wait, and unless you calm down, you're not going to make it through the night!"  
  
April looked at him open-mouthed as if she was the one that had been slapped. Casey never shouted at her and here he was, doing just that. He wasn't yelling at the top of his voice, but he still took her by surprise.  
  
Casey sighed, and he grabbed her hand that was still suspended in mid-air. "They'll come back April, I know they will. Just don't fall apart by their absence. It isn't good for you".  
  
A tear escaped April's eye and Casey brushed it away, pulling her to him in a tight embrace and letting her lean her head on his chest. He stroked her hair lovingly, while listening to her quiet sniffs, sorry for his sudden outburst. He didn't think that the guys' disappearance could affect her so much.  
  
"Don't cry, April", Casey said softly. "I was just annoyed that you kept taking your anger out on me. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry".  
  
"Don't . . ." April took in a shaky breath and pulled herself away from Casey, kneeling over him and rubbing at her eyes. "Don't apologise", she said, stifling a sob. "I - I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to take it out on you. This isn't your fault . . . I just - I just keep thinking the worst . . ."  
  
Casey kept his mouth shut and pulled her back to him, rocking her as if she was just a child. He had managed to keep the worst thing that could happen to the guys away from his mind, refusing to let it enter his brain. April had seemed to think of everything possible that could happen to them, and it wasn't helping her stay positive. It was even making them share the odd argument, which Casey hated because he and April never argued. Looking down, Casey realised that April's breathing had slowed, indicating that she had fallen asleep on him. With a smile, Casey thought about what April's reaction would be like if he slapped her.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
The elevator hummed in the background as Donnie and Raph talked about Splinter, about where he could be and why this world actually took him. They were still in the hospital they had found, the elevator being part of their discovery.  
  
"Maybe Splinter has something special", Donnie said, watching button number one light up on the elevator and gradually move to number two.  
  
"Maybe", Raph said. To him, Splinter was special, no matter what happened to him.  
  
The button for number three lit up and the elevator doors opened. Donnie and Raph stepped out onto another deserted corridor, with doors lined along the walls and two corners at the far end. To Donnie and Raph, it didn't look like a train exit. But then again, the whole place didn't really look like a hospital either.  
  
"I guess we just start trying doors", Donnie said, moving to the first one on his right.  
  
Raph shrugged and followed his brother.  
  
Donnie opened the first door he came to and both he and Raph stepped into a small room. The mirrored walls and ceiling reflected back at them and they walked in further. Donnie just muttered, "maybe it's a mirror maze", when an oozing gas came from the gaps in the mirrors. The two turtles immediately covered their mouths and made their way back out the room, but it was impossible. The door had closed firmly shut and within minutes they were unconscious.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Kida groaned angrily at her sliver laptop.  
  
I don't believe it, she thought. Not again! She was sitting on a yellow path; just her, the trains and her laptop, watching the room Donnie and Raph were in on the screen. The gas had disappeared and the guys were limp on the floor. Kida sighed in frustration. She touched the 'enter' key on her laptop and immediately Leo came on the screen, looking around the actual mirror maze he was in. He was in the right place, Kida knew. He just had to get through the maze. Ok, Kida thought, he doesn't need help. She pressed 'enter' again and Mikey's smiling face popped up. He didn't need her help either; he was still on the train leading him to his next dimension. Ok, two turtles fine, two turtles unconscious.  
  
Kida closed her laptop and put it on the path. In a couple of seconds it disappeared to, she hoped, the safety of her room. Even though it always did, so she had no real worries about it. Wincing, Kida struggled into a kneeling position then stood up. Her back was killing her but she didn't dare look at the bruising. It was bruised for sure, she knew, because it killed to sit down and stand up!  
  
Kida touched her back and winced again. Don't touch it, she thought. EVER!  
  
Gritting her teeth, she stopped a passing train and stepped on, making her way to Raph and Donnie. If she led them out of the hospital, THEN, maybe they'll get on the right track.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Leo accidentally hit another mirror and cursed himself. That was the fifth time in an hour! He couldn't go back. There were too many tricks in this place. Leo put his arms out in front of him and reached a corner. Yes! Now we're getting somewhere, Leo thought. A small jolt of success ran through him.  
  
"OW!"  
  
Another mirror.  
  
Sighing angrily, Leo moved forward. He just managed to dodge another mirror when he hit one full in the face. Leo rubbed his banged beak but then he frowned.  
  
"Wait a minute", he quietly said to himself.  
  
Leo gasped when he realised his arms had gone straight through the mirror. It looked as though someone had cut the perfect hole, the exact size of his arms, for them to go through. Leo pulled one of his arms out and it felt as if the mirror was made out of liquid. His reflection disappeared and the glass melted, leaving an open, dark doorway. Leo looked around and his reflections stared back at him. Taking a breath, he left his mirror world and entered the dark hallway.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Raph!" Kida yelled, bending down.  
  
OW! Not good, Kida thought. She couldn't bend down any more. It hurt too much. She stood up again and sighed. I can't bend down, she thought furiously. And there was Raph, lying unconscious, unaware that she was trying to wake him up! He just had to go unconscious, didn't he? He probably wouldn't like this, but Kida was pass caring.  
  
She looked at Donnie before turning back to Raph. Ok, Kida thought. Mental note: wake up Raph, then Donnie, then go to bed to rest my back! Ow . . . can't bend down! Damn!  
  
Kida brought her foot back as much as she dared and kicked Raph right on his leg as hard as she could. She felt bad as soon as her foot connected with him, but then all the sarcastic stuff he said to her floated around in her head and she instantly forgot about it, thinking: "You bloody well deserved it!"  
  
"OUCH!"  
  
Raph's eyes opened and he stood up immediately, wobbling slightly on the spot before taking in his surroundings and Kida. She smiled brightly back at him, though she was wincing on the inside because of her back.  
  
Raph glared at her. "Was that appropriate?" he demanded.  
  
"Yes", Kida said innocently.  
  
"If it was that easy to wake me up then why didn't you just SHAKE me?" Raph yelled, narrowing his eyes at her.  
  
She ignored his question. "Wake Donnie up", she said simply.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Wake - Donnie - up", Kida repeated, as if talking to a child.  
  
"And you can't because . . ." Raph said, looking at his unconscious brother.  
  
"I can't bend over", Kida said, making Raph look at her as if she was crazy. "And he's your brother", she added, nodding to Donnie.  
  
Raph growled under his breathe while he walked over to Donnie. He bent down and shook his brother roughly, watching his eyes open and his confusion mask his face. Raph grabbed his brother's arm and hauled him to his feet.  
  
"Some knock-out gas, Don", Raph said. "Kida woke me up. With her FOOT", he added, looking darkly at Kida.  
  
Donnie looked at Kida for the first time and frowned. "Er, why with your foot?" he asked, ignoring the steam coming from his brother.  
  
"Because she can't bend down!" Raph mimicked. "Are you some old lady in disguise? Because if you are -"  
  
"Listen", Kida interrupted angrily. "You teenage mutant ninja bas -"  
  
"KIDA!" Donnie said, shocked.  
  
Kida slapped herself mentally. Wrong approach, she thought. She looked from Donnie's shocked face to Raph's - almost red - one. Try again, she told herself. Apologise and try again.  
  
"Sorry", she said sharply, glaring at Raph. "I can't bend down because of your brother, Mikey. Not that it's his fault. I just helped him, that's all, resulting in my own pain! At least he was grateful for my help, even if you're not!"  
  
"I wouldn't call kicking me helpful!" Raph shouted back.  
  
"Stop. Stop!" Donnie said, standing between them. He turned to Kida, her cheeks flushing bright red with anger. "Why exactly", he asked, "can't you bend down?"  
  
Kida gave her face a chance to cool before answering. "I dunno", she replied stiffly. "I just bruised it when we were on the train. It stopped sharply and I got thrown back, hitting my back on the wall, so it hurts to bend, no big deal".  
  
Donnie frowned. "You want me to -"  
  
"No", Kida interrupted. "I'm fine. Let's just get out of here".  
  
She turned her back on them and walked over to the door, gripping the handle and pushing it open. The guys looked at her in confusion because they couldn't get it open before but she just gave them a look that said, "I know all the secrets - how do you think I got here in the first place?" and they walked out of the room.  
  
Kida led them back in the elevator and pressed the first floor button.  
  
"Erm, Kida", Donnie said. "Isn't the train exit on the third floor?"  
  
"There's a safer one on the first floor", Kida said, looking anywhere but Raph. God, he was a loser, she thought angrily. Though she did feel bad for nearly swearing at him - she never swore anyway.  
  
Donnie didn't like the angry silence lurking in the air, though he kept his mouth shut. Reading the signs between Kida and Raph, he knew that they had taken an automatic disliking to each other. God knows why, Donnie thought, staring from one face to another. He kept himself in between them, blocking each other's views, and listened to the quiet hum of the elevator.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Mikey's smile vanished but slowly return when he opened the train doors. In front of him was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Green grass, a bright blue and sunny sky, sparkling blue water and a waterfall, massive trees with birds chirping from them, all different coloured flowers and a curvy beige path, it was as if he'd stepped into the world of Peter Pan. The path went through the trees and beyond, and Mikey had a gut feeling that he was on the right track. He caught a glimpse of a rabbit as he made his way down the path, going down a hill as he did so. Mikey's grin widened. Raph would love this, he knew, though his brother would never actually admit that this place was beautiful, it would be the first thing that'll pop into his head.  
  
Mikey weaved his way through the trees that surrounded him and made his way over to the small lake and waterfall. Bending down, he put his fingers in the warm water and let it trickle down his wrist. The urge to drink it was strong, but Mikey knew to be cautious, no matter how crystal clear the water looked. His smile remained masked on his face. There was no way something as beautiful as this was going to get rid of it, he just wished that his brothers could see it.  
  
Mikey lifted himself up and put his whole arm under the small waterfall. Slowly, he dared to stand in the lake, though it came just only above his knees. Mikey took a breath and went under the waterfall, pressing himself against the cool rock that was beneath it. He could see the trees through the running water, and a few birds flying from them to get their young some food. Mikey went through the water again and stepped out of the lake, ignoring the fact that he was dripping wet. He had never felt so refreshed, though the craving for a drink was still there, but he didn't dare to risk drinking from lake.  
  
Moving on, Mikey glanced back at what he now thought was a dream world, before he moved back onto the path and carried on making his way through the crowd of trees. He found himself on another hill and looking at the trees that carried on in two lines either side of him, and so did the path. He could see more water ahead of him if he squinted his eyes, but Mikey just walked down the hill, wanting to see what lay ahead close up.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Donnie and Raph jumped at the sound of clicking fingers. They looked around to see if there was anyone else in the lift with them, but soon found out it was Kida who was responsible for the noise. She smiled apologetically at them, holding up her laptop that had suddenly appeared in her hands.  
  
"Hey, how'd you do that?" Raph asked.  
  
"Through the years that I've been here, Keja thought it would be best if I have inside information", Kida explained, tapping her laptop to make her point. "So he gave me the power to think that if I need anything I just click my fingers and, well - click - I get whatever I think of".  
  
"So if you want a drink, you just think of a can or something and snap your fingers and then it suddenly comes to you", Donnie said.  
  
"Kinda, but", Kida pointed out, "it's something that I know is there. What I mean is, I can't get things out of thin air. If I want a drink, it has to be in the fridge for me to make it come to me. Confusing, I know".  
  
"Not at all", Donnie said, who thought it was amazing.  
  
"Hmm", Kida said quietly. "But I never use it for my benefit".  
  
"But it's for your benefit isn't it?" Donnie asked.  
  
"Well . . . yeah", Kida replied. "But I don't like using it for my benefit. This laptop is what I mostly use. If I want a drink I do the proper thing and go get it. But, back to the point, this laptop is my way of helping you".  
  
"Wait, let me guess", Raph said. "You're gonna zap us into the laptop and send us back home, where Splinter will be waiting for us".  
  
Kida smiled properly at Raph for the first time. "I wish it was that easy", she said, with a tone of regret. "But it's not . . . No, I'm going to give you a chance to see your brothers. This is what I've been watching all of you on, though sometimes I have been watching you in person, but I've been hidden". She said this last bit of information with a glance at Raph, and he looked at her with a small look of forgiveness in his eyes, though Kida couldn't be sure he'd ever forgive her for 'spying' on them.  
  
"Really?" Raph asked.  
  
Kida nodded. "Really. I feel bad for snapping at you, so I can make up for it. Also, it'll give you a chance to see how Leo and Mikey are doing".  
  
Raph noticed that she didn't apologise for snapping at him, but he threw this thought aside, wanting to see Mikey and Leo as much as Donnie did.  
  
Kida held her laptop along one arm and opened it up. It was hard to balance it but she managed to type in 'Mikey' and instantly his face came onto the screen. She turned her laptop around and held it in both arms, holding it up so Raph and Donnie could see. They immediately opened their mouths, shocked at where their brother was. Kida frowned at their shocked faces and looked over the laptop, trying to see herself. She saw the dimension Mikey was in and smiled, looking back up at Donnie and Raph.  
  
"He's found a good one!" Kida praised him, though Mikey wasn't there.  
  
It's beautiful, Raph thought.  
  
"Wow", Donnie breathed. "He sure looks happy!"  
  
"No one can look sad in that dimension", Kida said. "The animals that live there call it 'The Land Of Happiness'. They can't talk", she added, "but they know that no harm will come to them there. 'The Land Of Happiness' was translated from the tune of the birds".  
  
"What about Leo?" Raph asked. He felt bad for thinking this, but he wanted Kida to take Mikey's picture off the screen, feeling the slight pang of jealousy that he found such a clean and wonderful place. He was glad that his brother was safe though. But still, what would it be like to stand there, comparing it to their home in the sewer?  
  
"Ok . . . Donnie, could you pressed the 'enter' key?" Kida asked, trying to balance the laptop on her knee and hit the key, but failing.  
  
Donnie nodded and pressed 'enter'.  
  
"Nothing's there", he said after a couple of seconds.  
  
"Wha' . . .?" Kida leaned over the screen. "Oh! Type in 'Leo' and then press 'enter'."  
  
Donnie nodded again and typed in his brother's name. He hesitated a spilt second before hitting the 'enter' key. Slowly, a picture came up from the middle of the screen, expanding and showing his brother in blue. He looks confused, Donnie thought, watching Leo's frowning face. But then his brother's face spilt into a grin and he was running down a dark corridor, turning many corners, until he reached an opening. Doors were surrounding him and he ran through one without even halting. Raph and Donnie exchanged glances and then looked up as Kida turned the laptop around to face her. She closed it and put it on the lift floor, watching it vanished before turning her gaze back to Donnie and Raph.  
  
"Don't you have sound on that thing?" Raph asked.  
  
Kida nodded. "Yes. But you didn't need to listen to the sound. Mikey's dimension's too peaceful and Leo's is always silent".  
  
"Where is he?" Donnie asked. "How come he knew where to go so quickly?"  
  
Kida smiled. "He knows what he's doing, where he's going, and where he's heading to. Don't worry, Leo's fine. Mikey's fine. You're going to be fine when I get you on the right track".  
  
Donnie and Raph looked at each other.  
  
"I wanna know why this elevator's taking so long!" Raph said. "It didn't take long going up, so why should it take longer going down!"  
  
Kida shrugged. "It's just the way things are here. There's -"  
  
A beeping noise cut Kida off. The elevator stopped and Kida stared at the doors. She suddenly put a finger to her lips as the guys looked at her. "Someone's outside", she whispered, and Raph and Donnie quickly pulled out their weapons. Donnie stood in front of Kida, waiting for the doors to open. They did, and Donnie and Raph went to attack the strange, but handsome, man that stood in front of them.  
  
"No wait!" Kida yelled.  
  
Raph and Donnie froze, turning back to look at Kida. She stepped out of the lift and stood in front of them, looking up at the man with black, collar- length hair and bright green eyes, wearing faded jeans and a plain white t- shirt over his muscular form, complete with sneakers. He looked back down at her, a small smile on his face.  
  
Kida sighed and shook her head. "Hi Keja", she grinned.  
  
Raph and Donnie's expressions went from shocked to total confusion.  
  
()()()()()()()() 


	8. Alone

Dimensional Adventure  
  
Kida looked from Donnie to Raph and laughed. Their mouths were wide open and they had their weapons held up in mid air. She turned around fully, her back facing Keja, who was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, an amused smile on his face.  
  
"Shocked, huh?" Kida asked, a smile playing on her lips.  
  
"This - this is Keja?" Raph said, looking at Keja with one eye ridge raised.  
  
"Yep", Kida said cheerfully, and then she added, "his true form".  
  
"True form?" Donnie repeated. "Oh! So that means -"  
  
"When you saw him it wasn't his true form, just a disguise", Kida finished for him. "So, goodbye Dumbledore. Hello Sirius Black".  
  
Kida burst out laughing at Donnie and Raph's expressions. They were positive that she wasn't there when Mikey's made his 'Dumbledore' comment. Behind her, Keja's smile widened when Kida laughed. Donnie and Raph looked at each other and then turned back to Kida.  
  
"So, the old man . . . he's gone then, right?" Raph asked.  
  
"Yup", Kida said.  
  
"And this is the real Keja?" Raph asked.  
  
"Yup".  
  
"So . . . why disguise yourself in the first place?"  
  
At this question, Raph looked at Keja for an answer. He put his sais in his belt and waited for his answer, but Kida answered instead.  
  
"We wanted you to trust him before he showed his true form, that's all", she explained. "Keja's very powerful. More powerful than any type of magic you've seen so far. He can change into anything - anyone. But we just wanted to gain your trust first".  
  
"How do we know that you're not in a different form then?" Raph asked her.  
  
Kida smiled. "Do I look as though I'm in a different form?" she asked.  
  
"Well . . ." Raph gazed at her for a spilt second. "No".  
  
"How about you, Donnie?" Kida asked, turning to him. "Do I look like I'm in another body? A different person?"  
  
Donnie smiled and put his Bo back in the pocket on his shell. "No".  
  
"Besides", Kida continued. "Keja needs to be in this form because we're going to the human world. I think he'd get some funny looks if he were walking down the street with a 4-foot beard. This is the real him anyway, and I think he looks better".  
  
"You're - you're leaving?" Donnie asked.  
  
Kida's smile faded a little. "I'm afraid so. You see, every year Keja and me go to the human world, where my roots are, basically. A year has passed since we last went, so we're going again, but it happens to be a time when you guys are here. I'm sorry to say that I'll have to leave you for a day while we go to New York".  
  
At this, Donnie titled his head up. "New York?"  
  
"Yeah . . . where I was born", Kida said. "But you'll be ok while I'm gone. Just stay out of trouble".  
  
Raph and Donnie exchanged glances.  
  
"Wait, that means you can see April for us, can't you?" Raph asked.  
  
Kida nodded. She knew where the guys lived and everything, and she gave them a look that said she knew. "Yes, I can".  
  
"Will you do that for us?" Donnie said. "Tell her where we are? She'll be worried sick. She knows we don't go anywhere major, especially in the day . . . I know that she and Casey will be back from their day out by now".  
  
Raph nodded. "Will you tell her then?"  
  
Kida turned around to face Keja, her eyes asking him if it was ok.  
  
Keja smiled and nodded. "It's fine by me", he said, speaking for the first time. His voice was the same as before, maybe a bit deeper.  
  
Kida smiled gratefully and turned back around. "Ok, I'll tell her".  
  
"Thanks", Donnie said. "Erm, when do you go?"  
  
Kida sighed. "I have to go now. But I'll take my laptop with me; I can still keep an eye on you. You'll do fine without me".  
  
"But - erm - what if we get stuck again?" Donnie asked.  
  
Kida frowned at him. "You won't", she said softly.  
  
Raph and Donnie fell silent; they had no more questions to ask. They knew their brothers were safe, and that they were also safe. But Kida knew so much about this world, that maybe - just maybe - they'll really need her when she's away. But they couldn't ask her to stay. It was to their advantage that she could go to New York and tell April that they were ok, and they were on a mission to save Splinter. And that Splinter was . . .  
  
"I have one more question", Donnie said, talking to Keja, breaking the train of thoughts that went through his and Raph's head. "Splinter's definitely alive, isn't he?"  
  
Keja turned his gaze to Donnie and nodded. "Definitely".  
  
"Good", Donnie sighed.  
  
Kida smiled. "I have to go. The train exit is over there". She pointed to a door at the far end of the hospital corridor. "Just go through there and you'll be back on the right track".  
  
"Ok thanks, Kida", Donnie smiled.  
  
Kida smiled back. Keja's gaze fell on her. "Don't mention it. See you guys in a day".  
  
Raph nodded at Kida. "Erm - thanks".  
  
Kida gave him a smile in return. Raph and Donnie watched Keja give them a small smile as he put a hand on Kida's shoulder. Slowly, they started to fade. After a few seconds they disappeared completely, leaving a small glowing light flowing in mid air where they had vanished. The two turtles watched it until that disappeared also.  
  
"Do you think Leo and Mikey know she's disappearing for a day?" Raph asked.  
  
Donnie shrugged. "Maybe".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
A dark cloud had now descended over New York, indicating night and threatening rain. Kida, standing alone in a darkened alleyway, looked down at the manhole she had to go down. She was used to getting filthy, as she had done many times before in different dimensions, but this - this was slightly different. Never before had she had to go down a sewer, but it was for the turtles. Kida found herself lucky that the manhole was open a bit, making it easy for her to slide it across and slip down, so what was holding her back?  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Casey switched off the light near the ladder, and the whole lair went dark. Quietly, he slipped over to the couch where April was sitting, now awake. Casey sat down beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. He could see the small glint in her eyes as she looked at him, and he smiled and gave her a soft kiss. He leant his head back and closed his eyes; seconds later he felt April lean on him and do the same.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Oh my God, gross!  
  
Kida trudged her away along in the sewer tunnels, but it was hard to see when all you had was the moon and stars above you to light the way. She felt her way along the walls, and sometimes she heard scuttling next to her, but she kept going. The things I do for people, Kida thought, smiling slightly. She turned a corner and made her way down another long tunnel, glad that she knew the way to the guys lair otherwise it would have taken her days to find it. She crouched down and started to crawl the rest of the way, and stopped when she found the edge of the ladder to the turtles home. She pulled one leg over the edge of the ladder, followed by another one, and slowly she started to make her way down.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
A noise echoed throughout the lair, waking Casey and April up immediately. No one knew where the turtles lived except for them and Keno, so no one should have been there. Casey grabbed his hockey stick that he had brought back from April's apartment, after they had decided to spend the night their in case the turtles came back, but it couldn't have been the turtles because Donnie would have put the light on, and Keno would have called out.  
  
Casey gently put a finger on April's lips, knowing that she would be quiet but making sure that she stayed put as well. Clutching his hockey stick, he headed towards the stairs, listening to the noise that was coming from the ladder. April followed him, not wanting to stay put in case Casey got hurt, but she stayed a few metres behind him. Silently, she watched his darkened figure disappear from view as he headed up the stairs.  
  
Casey bent low as he watched a figure climb down the ladder. It couldn't be the foot, the figure was too small, but then again, the foot were teenagers. Casey crept closer towards the ladder in silence, his eyes following the figure as it finally reached the floor and let go of the ladder. Was that a bandanna? Casey watched a small flick of material or something swing behind the figure, but it looked too long to be a bandanna. The figure slowly made its way towards the stairs and Casey, realising it had no weapons, dropped his hockey stick and jumped on it, pinning the person to the floor and bringing its arm behind its back as Casey kneeled over him or her.  
  
"Move and I'll snap your arm like a toothpick!" Casey threatened angrily.  
  
April, who was watching from a few feet away, ran up the stairs and turned on the lights, squinting her eyes to get used to the brightness.  
  
"Casey, get off!" April said in alarm, running over to him. "It's a girl!"  
  
Casey's breathing slowed as he looked at the black-haired girl underneath him. Well, of course it was her hair that was swinging behind her! That explained everything. Casey kneeled sideways, still holding her arm back, and looked into the brightest eyes he had ever seen. She looked up at him, her mouth slightly parted and her breathing heavy. Casey took in her aqua t- shirt and black jeans before getting off her, questions floating in his mind at why a normal teenager would be down here. He lifted her up and then let go of her arm. April stood next to him, watching the girl with curiosity.  
  
"Who . . . are you?" Casey asked slowly, one of his eyebrows raised.  
  
"I think", she said, "the question is: "Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing here?" But I can play it your way". A smile started to form across her lips. "My name's Kida, nice to finally meet you Casey . . . and April", she added, now smiling.  
  
"How -," Casey began.  
  
"How do I know your names?" Kida interrupted. "Better question: "How did I know where the turtles lived?" And since I know where they live, this moves you onto asking: "How do I even know about the turtles?" Then this moves us onto: "Do I know where the turtles are if I know about them?" And: "Are they all right?" Then, finally answering: yes. I do know about the turtles - although only for about 8 hours - and they are fine. I've come to tell you of their whereabouts, and Splinter's. That is, if you trust me to tell you and if you believe me when I do, which I'm sure you will".  
  
She smiled at their slightly shocked and confused faces, reflecting Donnie's and Raph's just an hour before.  
  
"So", she said, "want to sit down? Oh, and when I've finished, please don't go all silent on me . . . I really hate it when people do that".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"They're WHAT?" April said, shocked.  
  
"They're in a dimensional world and they can't get out until they save Splinter", Kida repeated for the third time. "If they don't succeed they'll be stuck their forever, until death do they part", she smiled lightly, "but they'll be safe even if they do fail, you just won't be able to see them. Don't worry, I have faith in them".  
  
"How do you know they'll succeed?" April said.  
  
Kida smiled. "Didn't you listen to anything I just said? I've been there for years! I think I know a failure when I see one. I never said they WOULD succeed. I just said I have faith in them . . . big difference".  
  
"Are they all right?" Casey asked.  
  
"We-ell . . .", Kida said, lifting her fingers. "Donnie's got a broken leg in two places. Mikey's fallen down a never-ending pit. Leo's knocked out with a broken arm AND leg. Raph's dead", she added simply.  
  
"So you hate Raph?" Casey said, knowing the body language.  
  
"Did I say that?"  
  
"You don't have to", Casey said. "I've been through that stage".  
  
Kida laughed and got off Splinter's armchair. "I have to go. Let's hope the guys see you in 3 and a half days time. Don't worry over them. I'm not saying that to be mean. I'm just saying that, you know where they are, and that's all that matters".  
  
"Wait - wait". Casey jumped off the couch. "How do we know this world even exists? That you aren't making it all up?"  
  
Kida smiled and clicked her fingers. In a blink of an eye she was gone, leaving the spot empty where she had been standing. Casey's mouth, now wide open, tried to form the words he wanted to say to April. He turned to face her. She was staring at the spot where Kida had disappeared, unblinking.  
  
"Where did she go?" Casey said, finally finding his voice.  
  
"I think she just answered your question, Casey", April replied quietly.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Leo now found himself unbelievably lost. The last door he went through led him to some sort of forest. Weaving his way through the trees, his path got darker and darker, until he could barely see his hand in front of his face. But he kept going, thinking this forest might be the one Keja was on about, the one where Splinter was in. But he had his doubts. Surely it wasn't going to be this easy? But then again, some people must have succeeded in rescuing their loved ones in a day, just by powers of great luck.  
  
A strong breeze flowed through the trees, sending Leo's bandanna tails flying around his face. He brushed them away, and looked behind him back down the path, hoping that one of his brothers would just come running down towards him. Or better yet, Raph jumping on him and moaning that he was more lazy than him, and Leo realising he was having a bad dream, that Splinter was never really gone.  
  
Something rustled in a bush nearby. Leo clung onto his katanna handle, but didn't pull it out. Where was Kida when you needed her? Leo thought. He hadn't seen her in 2 hours but was hoping he would do. She knew more about this than he did.  
  
The rustling got louder. Leo pulled out both his katannas and crossed them over one another, holding them up to protect his face. He saw the bush moving in front of him and prepared himself for the worse: a lion maybe, or a bear! Anything that could cause serious injury, but it wasn't, when the bush finally stopped moving Leo frowned, and looked down . . .  
  
"A cat?" Leo smiled to himself. "I got scared by you?"  
  
The little white cat with black strips purred up at him, and Leo bent down just metres away from it. He put his katannas back in the pocket on his shell.  
  
"Hey, little guy", Leo smiled. "Never seen a white cat with black strips".  
  
Another purr.  
  
"Can you come here?" If Raph could see this, Leo thought. He'd think I was nuts. But who cares? Suddenly the cat seemed great company, as do many pets, but the turtles never had one, so this was a new comfort to Leo. He stuck out a hand, and the cat moved closer.  
  
"You're quite a funny looking thing, aren't ya?"  
  
Suddenly, the green eyes glinted at him. Leo stood up in shock as the cat burst into bright green flames. Leo could still see him, but he started to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger . . . Leo grabbed his katannas in a flash as the flames started to vanish, and a massive white tiger stood in front of him.  
  
"Oh - my - God", Leo said slowly, backing up towards a tree.  
  
But the tiger just stood there, and Leo knew the first thing to do would be to run, but he didn't. Shock was keeping him still, and he knew he would never want to kill an animal, even if it was wild.  
  
"Not such a funny thing anymore, eh?" said a deep voice.  
  
Leo spun round. "Who said that?!"  
  
"Me!!"  
  
Leo looked back at the tiger. "No - way . . ."  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Ok, I always forget to write my thank you(s) on here! I kept saying to myself to write at the end of my chapters before I posted but I never did . . . not anymore! Ok, firstly, thanks Neosun! Thanks Elle! (Kida is not a wussy! Lol I've bruised my coccyx before and it's bloody painful - hmm, so did my sister and she had to take a cushion to school - * cough * anyway, thanks again. Thanks Ramica . . . * looks to see if spelt name right * . . . Yeah, it does seem a bit like Labyrinth now that I think about it - heh - but it's not, I love Labyrinth though! Thanks for reading and for your review! Love ya all people!  
  
Peace out! Don't forget your t-u-r-t-l-e power!  
  
Luv tmnt_luver xxx) 


	9. Fight

Dimensional Adventure  
  
Lost didn't even half describe the situation Donnie and Raph were in. The door Kida had directed them to just led to another corridor. After much thought they had decided to go down it, but now, looking at all the doors surrounding them, they could seriously think about using the word 'trapped'.  
  
Raph sighed. "Lets just try this one".  
  
He gripped the handle on the door closest to him, and pushed it open. Raph peaked his head through and lightly punched his brother on the side. Donnie gave out a whispered, "eh?" but when Raph didn't answer him, he poked his head into the room too, and gave out a small gasp.  
  
"Erm -" Raph said slowly. "Okaaaay".  
  
They both took in the normal white walls, the white ceiling, and the white floor. But nothing - absolutely nothing - could explain the food floating mid-air in front of them. Pizza slices, fruit, vegetables, sweets, cans of soda, anything that would make Mikey have a field day.  
  
Donnie walked in and grabbed a carrot floating just above his head. He examined it in his hands, looking to see if it was real food. He sniffed it. Definitely smelt like a carrot. Raph came up behind him.  
  
"Poisonous?" he asked.  
  
"Don't think so", Donnie replied.  
  
"Only one way to find out", Raph said confidently. He grabbed an apple that was floating around his head, sniffed it, and took a bite. "Hmm, not bad"  
  
"I can't believe you're risking your life just for an apple!" Donnie tutted. He watched as his brother starting chewing. Donnie shrugged. Well it wasn't poisoning him yet! But then again Raph hadn't swallowed it yet. Swallowed . . . it could be when you swallowed, Donnie thought. He quickly took another sniff of the carrot . . . something was not right.  
  
"Wait don't swallow that!" Donnie shouted to his brother.  
  
Raph gulp, swallowing the piece of apple in his mouth at the same time. He looked at his brother, holding the apple in one hand.  
  
"Er, why?" he asked slowly.  
  
"Too late now", Donnie whispered. His eyes slowly went from the top of his bandanna holes to the bottom as he watched Raph fall to the floor, the apple still clutched in one hand. Donnie scratched his head. "Er, well, there's some kind of sleeping drug in there that'll keep you knocked out for at least 2 hours", he explained to his unconscious brother lying on the floor, even though he couldn't hear a word Donnie was saying. "Hmm".  
  
Donnie smiled slightly. Despite the mess they were in, he found the whole situation pretty funny, but he knew Raph wouldn't be smiling in 2 hours time.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Leo wasn't smiling at all. He had his shell pressed against a tree and was looking at the 'CAT' in shock. He knew he hadn't misheard, that thing definitely spoke! Even more confusing, it was speaking to him!  
  
"What's the matter, dude?" it asked. "Never seen a talking tiger before?"  
  
"This is impossible!" Leo gasped.  
  
"Impossible? Not in this world it ain't!"  
  
"Who are you?" Leo asked, moving away from the tree and taking one cautious step forward. He knew what Mikey would say: "Aww, Leo, can we keep him, huh, huh?" "Fat chance!" would be Leo's reply if his brother were here. But he wasn't. Leo had no idea where Kida was, and he could have really used her help by now!  
  
"I", the tiger replied, "am Tiran. And I've been sent to protect you".  
  
"Protect me?" Leo asked, confused. "Why? I mean, by who?"  
  
Tiran looked as though he was smiling proudly at Leo. "A fire of a soul, Leonardo, an angel of protection, a princess of dimensions, but also a fearer of friendship. She is my cause, my life, my friend, my purpose, and I vow to protect her also. But, for the first time, I have been asked to protect someone she considers more important than herself. That someone, Leonardo, is you".  
  
Leo's mouth opened.  
  
Tiran bowed his head and closed his eyes. "By my soul I shall protect you, I have no reason to die, and I can't as I have the protection of the master of this world. But now, my protection has turned to you, by the orders of Kida".  
  
Leo frowned. "Kida . . ."  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"GET OFF ME, YOU IDIOT!"  
  
Kida kicked a gangster in the gut and punched the other one as hard as she could. Walking around New York really wasn't good. She should have taken herself back to Keja, but instead her leave from the turtles' home had left her here, down the alley two blocks from where she was staying for the night and tomorrow. Teleporting herself was really getting to her. The more stress or anger that filled her mind prevented her from getting to her destination, and she had plenty to get her lost. She had much anger to kick anyone that tried to steal her none-existent money. She didn't know how to fight, but she did her best to defend.  
  
She gritted her teeth in pain as a punk with bright red hair pinned her against the solid brick wall. Her back was in agony but she ignored it, and looked at the punk in front of her, fire blazing in her eyes.  
  
"Ooo! Getting tough now are we?" he sneered, and she could smell his foul breathe.  
  
"TAKE - THAT!" She brought her foot up and kicked him right where she knew it hurt. His arms released hers, and he fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Kida hauled herself away from the wall just as a massive 'bang!' of thunder and lightning lit the sky. She looked up at the dark clouds just as they broke, and she was soaked from head to toe within seconds.  
  
Something grabbed her from behind, and she elbowed it as hard as she could, watching as a man with yellow hair landed besides her, clutching his groin. Kida took off down the alleyway and ran up a fire escape, rubbing her bare arms when she got to the top. Thunder echoed in the distance, and she started to run across the rooftops, taking her time jumping from one to another before she found another fire escape.  
  
"Hey sweetums", the yellow-haired man drawled when she got to the bottom.  
  
Kida opened her mouth, and looked behind her quickly. No one was following her, so how the hell . . .? She growled, and gazed at the dagger in his hand. She could still see the anger and pain in his eyes from when she had kicked him.  
  
"Stay - away - from - me . . ." She slowly backed away.  
  
"No, darlin', I ca' d'that", he drawled, and she started to run.  
  
Kida's back was letting her down. She could see the man through the blanket of rain as she tried to get to the apartment block she and Keja were in. He finally managed to catch up with her, grabbing her back and pulling her to the ground. He kneeled on top of her, and suddenly the blade was within stabbing distance.  
  
"GET OFF!!"  
  
She grabbed his wrists as the knife almost touched her nose. He was stronger than her, and she used all of her might to push the knife sideways, letting it slide down her upper arm before hitting the floor. Kida gasped as blood dripped from her already ripped t-shirt. The man's weight wouldn't budge, so she mustered up the last of her energy to kick him again, much harder, in his groin area.  
  
He doubled over in pain, and she pushed him off her.  
  
She stood up, clutching her left shoulder, gave the punk another hard kick so he wouldn't follow her and ran off for the fourth time that evening. She passed another street, ran across the road, hiding the pain in her eyes and her shoulder as two policemen walked past. Since they were to her right, thankfully, they didn't notice the blood soaking through her light-coloured t-shirt. She managed to reply to their "evening" greetings, though it took much effort. She found the block of apartments she needed, and ran up the stairs before any of the other neighbours could see her.  
  
She reached the top, and knocked on the one door in the corridor with her blood-covered knuckles, too weak to grab the handle. Kida leaned against the wall until the door swung open, and a pair of shocked, green eyes greeted her.  
  
She smiled painfully at Keja, and stumbled through to the large room as he shut the door and turned back to her, taking in her blood-soaked sleeve and shivering body, the utmost concern glinting in his eyes. He ran over to her as she headed to the bathroom in the flat, stumbling all the way. "What happened to you, Kida?" When she made it to the bathroom he asked again, kneeling down to grab her waist and turn her to him, since he knew grabbing her arms would be a bad idea. She winced as his hands pressed against her back. "Kida?"  
  
"I suppose just a shower tonight is out of the question?" she asked in a weak attempt at a joke, finally defeated by weakness as she collapsed there and then.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Mikey's favourite place so far started to slip out of eyesight. He sighed as he walked through the trees that cut off the view to the waterfall, not wanting to leave but knowing that he had to. After half an hour of walking, he finally came to a park. He definitely knew it was a park because of the swings and slides that scattered it. There was a hill near one set of swings, and he sat down on one of them, peering over the grass. It led down to a large field of grass, and was followed by another hill, so it looked like one massive hole, but as the sun set out over it, Mikey smiled, marvelling at the smell of fresh cut grass and air. Being in New York, this kind of thing was never seen, and Mikey was grateful for a chance to see it.  
  
He didn't know how long he sat there for, but suddenly the sun started to fade, sinking lower below the hills and leaving strips of oranges, yellows, pinks, reds, blues and purples peeking above them. Mikey quickly got up and headed for the hills, knowing that he couldn't stay here when it got dark. There could be wild animals about. Lions, or snakes, or - Mikey swallowed - bears. He quickened his pace and came to a new set of trees.  
  
Trees . . . Dark . . . Mikey thought. It was always like that in films. The trees looked ok in the sunlight, but when darkness settled there were always things lurking: Bats, the horrible hoots of owls, eyes watching you from the darkest places. Hidden traps, maybe, or noises . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Kida stayed trapped in the darkness of her room until she finally came back to herself and turned her bedside lamp on, realising she didn't need it on because she'd slept through till morning. This wasn't just any room, it was her room, and it had been that way since she was just a kid. The flat she and Keja were in wasn't just any flat, it was her home, the home she spent the greatest 7 years of her life living in until her family died. All of her family, that is. Visiting once a year wasn't enough for her, but even visiting more than that was painful, so she never came more than once, even though her heart desired it.  
  
Kida sighed and looked around her fairly big room.  
  
With the ocean style wallpaper, and light blue coloured bed along with a light blue coloured carpet, it was any normal teenagers room. But Kida had her unique taste. Her Mom had kindly painted an ocean theme on her dressers, her wardrobe, every piece of wood she had. Even her CD Player was blue, and Kida would never even dream of redecorating this room. Her ceiling was painted blue also and her Mom, a brilliant painter, had drawn 2 dolphins on the ceiling, so she could look up at them every night.  
  
Kida tilted her head on the softness of her bed to look at her wrapped-up shoulder, obviously gently stitched up and cleaned by Keja, though she didn't remember him doing it. She must have zoomed out for the rest of the night. It was in agony, but she didn't want to go out and ask for pills. She wasn't weak, and she would handle the pain - and the fact was she hated pills.  
  
Her stomach grumbled loudly, and she smiled. Ok, maybe she would have to get out of bed. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and saw that Keja had put her in a pair of her black pyjama bottoms and a massive grey t- shirt that belonged to him. Kida shivered and let out a sneeze. Now she knew why he did it. She felt her forehead. It was hot, but she ignored it and opened her bedroom door.  
  
The blinds were shut in the living room, and the fireplace was off. Kida peeked through the blinds to see it pouring down with rain and dull. She removed herself from the window and sat down on one of the three beige armchairs in her lounge. There was a sofa opposite her, but she always preferred to curl up in an armchair, snuggling against a red blanket that draped across it.  
  
She loved this room. Mostly because, despite the terrible weather, it looked nice - even if the fire was off.  
  
She sat there for 10 minutes before she decided to get a bath and get dressed. It didn't take long. She ran a bath, washed herself up - managing to keep her bandaged-up shoulder dry - and dried her hair and pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans and a grey t-shirt, too hot to put Keja's sweater back on. She loosely plaited her hair, leaving the strands that always fell over her face untouched, and went back into the living room and sat in the armchair, grabbed a book, and began to read.  
  
It wasn't long before her head started to hurt so she stopped reading, just moments before Keja came out of the spare bedroom, wearing a pair black jeans and a green t-shirt. He ran a hand through his hair and looked down at her.  
  
"You should put my jumper back on", he advised. "You'll get ill just wearing that".  
  
"I'm fine", she replied, tucking her legs underneath her and flicking the TV on. Some kiddie cartoons came on and she shrugged. No one was too old for cartoons.  
  
"Hmm". He bent down to her level and put a hand on her head. "You don't feel fine. You're boiling, Kida".  
  
"I'm fine", Kida repeated. "I don't want to put your jumper on. I'm hot".  
  
"I can see that", Keja said. He stood up. "Best to sweat it off though then let it get worse. You were freezing last night - so you're bound to get a fever. How's your shoulder?"  
  
She shrugged again. "Fine", she said simply, engrossed in Tom and Jerry.  
  
"Put my jumper on", he repeated. "I don't want you to get worse".  
  
"I won't", she said, eyes still on the screen. "I'm fine".  
  
He ran a hand through his hair again, clearly thinking about something but deciding against it. "How about a fried breakfast?" he asked.  
  
She cracked a smile and looked at him. "Ok, thanks".  
  
He looked at her flushed cheeks uncertainly and walked into the kitchen that was attached onto the living room, watching Kida's movements from over the counter. She was tough, but she couldn't fight natural illness, and she was heading straight for it.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Donnie was being tortured, properly tortured. This was torture beyond belief. This was torture beyond torture. This was betrayal. This was horrible. This was . . . Pizza!  
  
Donnie watched as one slice of pizza floated above his head, going back and forth, back and forth, back and - Donnie shook his head and looked at his unconscious brother. One hour of waiting, another hour to go. Donnie sighed. This slice of pizza was the only piece of food left in the room. The rest had vanished before his very eyes. He swore the food had a mind of their own. Because this one slice of pizza kept moving from left to right and so did his eyes. Mikey would probably give in on this one, but Donnie wanted to stay beside his brother. But it was so hard . . .  
  
Just one hour, Donnie told himself, one hour . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Mikey felt a jolt of success when he walked into the small cave. Pitched away from most of the trees, it shone in the moonlight and brought out the scratches and curves in the wall. He sat down and leaned against the damp wall. Not brilliant, but it would have to do because he knew that he couldn't carry on tonight.  
  
Mikey brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly.  
  
It wasn't windy, but he was cold. He looked at the scratches in the wall and realised he was looking at writing. Names. He moved forward onto his knees and brought his hand up to rub along the grooves of peoples names.  
  
Mary-Ann Ranger: 13/10/1957  
  
Daniel Oliver Thompson: 06/08/1999  
  
Taylor Marie Anderson: 17/12/1978  
  
Mikey frowned. Did this mean that they were stuck in here and wrote their names on? Or did they just do it to say who had been here to comfort the next person? Mikey carried on looking until he got to a very familiar name.  
  
Kida Ashley-Rose Wright: 25/12/1994 (Merry Christmas)  
  
Mikey knew this was the Kida that he now knew. It had to be. She said she was their age but her parents died when she was young and she'd been here maybe 7/8 years. This must have been her first Christmas here. It made sense to be her. Mikey was sure of it, though he didn't know Kida last name or anything.  
  
Mikey sat back against the wall and shivered. He didn't know where Kida was right now, but he bet she was a lot warmer than he was.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Ok, I'm boiling", Kida said, lying across the sofa on her stomach with her cheek pressed into a pillow and her arm dangling off it.  
  
Luckily, Keja wasn't there to hear her say that. He was out getting some food supplies since Kida had ate most of the food for her fried breakfast, having had nothing to eat for almost a day since the turtles had came to the dimensional world. Kida got up and turned the fire off that Keja had put on, insisting that she 'sweat it off', referring 'it' to her so-called illness. She sighed. There was nothing wrong with her, she was just a little hot that's all, and she was blaming the fire for that.  
  
She looked at her shoulder and tried to move it.  
  
Nope. Agony and annoyance went through her and she shoved herself back on the sofa in the same position she was before. She knew Keja will probably ask her what she was doing last night to get bruised up like that.  
  
She had a nasty bruise on her stomach where the yellow-haired punk had dragged her down and on the side of her thigh where she had banged into the brick wall. Also the ones on her back hurt like hell and she found it a lot easier to lay on her stomach. She also started to wonder if Keja had seen the purple and blue mess on her back. They weren't exactly hard to miss.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
When Keja came back he found Kida asleep on the sofa, her front half off it and her legs resting on it. He smiled. God knows how she managed to sleep in that position. He walked over to her and glanced at the fire.  
  
Off.  
  
Keja sighed and felt Kida's forehead. Roasting, and she was breathing heavily so he knew she had probably just made that fever worse. She should of listened to him and sweat it off. But she wouldn't because she was positive she would be fine. Keja put away the supplies he had got for the kitchen and then lifted Kida up and put her back on the sofa. He grabbed the blanket that went over her favourite armchair and draped it over her. Hopefully she would sweat it off in her sleep.  
  
He sat down beside her and watched her slow breathing. Maybe when she woke up she would tell him about those bruises that scattered her back. They couldn't have been the ones from last night, though he still didn't know what had happened to her, but they looked as if they'd been there for a while. He'd since her flinch ever so often when she was moving on the armchair also.  
  
Kida coughed in her sleep and rolled her head to one side. Keja looked at her glowing red cheeks and knew she'd have to stay in bed for a few days.  
  
He frowned. There was simply no way she could go back to helping the turtles now.  
  
()()()()()()()() 


	10. A Strange Individual

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"So, Tiran, lemme get this straight", Leo said, walking along side his new 'friend'. "Kida sent you to protect me? But you normally stick with her . . . so how come we haven't seen you with her yet?"  
  
Tiran looked up at Leo. "I'm hidden", he replied. "If I am seen with Kida than the ones trying to attack her will have an advantage. Even if you cannot see me, does not mean I'm not there".  
  
"So, how did you get to know Kida?" Leo asked.  
  
"When she first came to this world she was a fire of a soul", Tiran said. "Always getting herself into trouble. Then she came to this forest and got into even more trouble. I managed to save her in time and Keja asked me to watch her occasionally. Well, that became all the time. We've been together ever since".  
  
"How did Kida actually get to this world?" Leo knew it was a personal question, but he was curious.  
  
"That is not my story to tell", Tiran said. "You will have to ask her".  
  
Leo nodded and shivered.  
  
"Come on", Tiran said, taking a few steps forward. "Let's find some shelter".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"What do you mean I can't go back?!" Kida yelled.  
  
"You cannot go back when you're like this", Keja said, watching her stomp over to her bedroom window and look out at the dull sky. "Not when you're ill".  
  
"I'm not ill!" Kida shouted, her eyes blazing at him. "I can't stay here for a couple of days! That will eat up the turtles' time. We have to go back! I have to go back! I can't stay in this place!"  
  
Keja was shocked at her sudden outburst. "Kida, it's your home".  
  
"This place is not home without my family!" Kida shouted at him. "And since my family are dead there is no point me staying here!"  
  
"Kida -"  
  
"No!" Kida yelled, pointing her finger at him. "I am not staying here! You have no idea what it's like to lose everything! My mom, dad, brother and sister! All in a matter of minutes! I hate this!!"  
  
She kicked her wardrobe next to her. "I hate this house!!"  
  
"You don't -"  
  
"I do!!" she snapped. "I mean it!! I'd rather been in the dimensional world than here! I hate it! Do you know how hard it is?! Everywhere I walk in this place I'm surrounded by memories! And why? Because that thing killed my family! That stupid son of a -"  
  
"Kida!!" Keja shouted. "Please!"  
  
Kida growled and punched her wardrobe. A surge of pain ran up her arm and to her already-injured shoulder. She looked at Keja, and he could see the pain and anger in her eyes as they glistened with tears.  
  
"We have to go back", she whispered.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Donnie smiled with relief as Raph stirred and slowly opened his eyes. "Hey Sleeping Beauty!" he said. "Welcome back!"  
  
Raph got up and looked around the now-empty room in confusion. "What?" he stifled a yawn and looked at Donnie. "What happened, Don?"  
  
"I'll explain later!" Donnie said, grabbing his brother's arm. "Let's just get out of here before that pizza comes back!"  
  
"Pizza?" Raph said. "But what - whoa -!"  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"It's not perfect, but it'll do", Tiran said.  
  
Leo raised an eye ridge and looked at the thick tree in front of them. "Er, Tiran", he said slowly. "Not to criticize your intelligence or anything, but, this is a tree".  
  
"I know".  
  
"And how do you expect a tree to shelter us?"  
  
"Like this", Tiran stepped forward, and to Leo's shock walked straight into the tree, vanishing before his eyes. His head popped back out a second later. "Well come on then. Turtles aren't meant to be this slow!" he laughed. "Besides, I don't want you to freeze".  
  
Leo clicked his fingers. "Oh, right!" he said to himself, and took a breath and walked into the tree. He gasped in shock as he saw a brightly painted room, with 2 beds in the middle. Tiran was curling himself up on one, and Leo walked over and sat on the other one.  
  
"Not perfect, huh?" Leo asked.  
  
Tiran smiled at him. "Some trees are better", he said.  
  
"I don't know how", Leo smiled. He suddenly frowned, knowing it wasn't fair to feel like this when his other brothers could be freezing themselves. He hoped that Donnie and Raph were still together, and Mikey had joined with them.  
  
"You ok, Leonardo?" Tiran asked, raising his head from his paws.  
  
"Fine, Tiran, just fine".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Donnie!" Raph said, pulling his arm out of his brother's grasp. "Will you please tell me what the hell is going on?!"  
  
"Will when we get out of here, bro!" Donnie said, walking a much faster pace than his brother. "It was torture in there! Absolute torture! Did you have to knock yourself out?!" Without realising, a glowing ball of light was floating behind Raph. "Anyway, we have to get out of here! It's evil!"  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Kida and Keja landed softly on the dark, yellow path when they arrived back home. Well, Keja's home. Kida knew what she said about her home was harsh, but she did mean most of it, even though it hurt to say. Everything was pitch black around them now, except for the lights on the trains that lit up the walkway. Kida could feel her face burning up as she looked at each train. Despite the freezing wind, she was still boiling. Before Keja could say anything to her, she took off down the path.  
  
"Where are you going?" he yelled after her.  
  
"To find Mikey!" she yelled back.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Donnie and Raph took many turns in the hospital, but they couldn't find the exit or even the lift that they had been in ages ago. Donnie kept looking around, as if something was going to jump out on him.  
  
"God Donnie!" Raph said after half an hour. "Stop looking around! What's gonna happen?"  
  
"Hey! You try sitting with me for 2 hours when you're being torture by flying pizzas! Don't tell Mikey! He'll think every pizza is his enemy!"  
  
Raph rolled his eyes. The glowing light behind him hid behind his shell as Donnie turned to face his brother. As soon as Donnie turned back, the light became brighter. Raph raised an eye ridge and slowly turned around. "Ut oh . . ."  
  
Donnie kept walking. "What do you mean 'Ut oh . . .'?" he asked, and spun around.  
  
"Ut oh . . ." Donnie said slowly. "Raph?!"  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Mikey was freezing. He hugged his body as tightly as he could and leaned back against the wall. A breeze whistled through the cold cave, and Mikey couldn't help but shiver. He looked outside into the dark night and sighed. He hoped that his brothers were ok. Most importantly, he hoped Kida would come and find him.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
As Kida was running down the path, someone suddenly landed on her and she toppled to the floor, landing on her stomach.  
  
"HEY!"  
  
She looked up at Raph lying over her and groaned, putting her head in her hands. "I'm not in the mood for this!" she grumbled quietly to herself. Raph opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. She looked up at him, the pain in her shoulder, thighs and back screaming. He wasn't exactly a small load.  
  
"Hey! Grumpy!" she yelled at him. "You wanna get off me?!"  
  
Raph slowly looked down. "Whoa!" He jumped off her and looked at the trains zooming past him, their lights blinding his vision. "How the hell did I get here?"  
  
Kida got up and winced. "Ouch!" she shouted at him. "You should loose a few pounds! I'd like to know how you got here too!"  
  
"Well, me and Don were in the hospital -"  
  
"Still?" Kida said, shocked. She rubbed her bandaged up shoulder.  
  
"Hey! Not my fault you give rubbish directions!" Raph snapped. "I just ended up here. What happened to you anyway?" He nodded his head to her shoulder.  
  
Kida sighed. "Let's just say the punks of New York aren't very . . . nice. I just got into a spot of trouble. But never mind. Come on". She walked over to a train and held up her hand for it to stop. "We have to go get Mikey".  
  
"What about Donnie?" Raph asked.  
  
"Donnie will be fine", she said. "It's Mikey who needs our help!"  
  
"But why?" Raph asked.  
  
Kida sighed. "I'll explain on the way. Now come on!"  
  
Raph growled at her, but slowly walked onto the train after her. He sat down opposite her and she explained that Mikey was stuck in a cave in one of the forest, unfortunately not the one that headed towards Splinter, but close.  
  
"Wait! Wait!" Raph interrupted her right there. "You know the way to Splinter?"  
  
"Barely", she answered.  
  
"But you have a good guess", Raph said.  
  
"Well . . . yeah", she said. "But I can't go with just one turtle, or two. I'm not even supposed to help you through this thing!"  
  
"Then why are you?" Raph asked.  
  
She shrugged. "Like I have much else to do. Besides, I know what it's like to be without a father. That's what Splinter is anyway right, your father?"  
  
"Yeah", Raph said quietly, looking at the floor. "So, erm, what happened to yours?"  
  
"He's dead", Kida said, crossing her legs on the chair and holding her shoulder in one hand, her other arm resting on her knee. She had a saddened look on her face.  
  
"Yeah, you said your parents died", Raph said, sorry for her. "Didn't you have family you could stay with?"  
  
She shook her head. "We had no other living relatives. It was just I, my mom, my dad, my twin brother and younger sister".  
  
"Oh", Raph glanced at her. "Where are your brother and sister?"  
  
She turned her face away from him and looked at the seat next to her. "They're dead, too", she whispered.  
  
"Erm, I'm sorry", Raph said, mentally slapping himself for asking.  
  
"Hey, no big deal", she said, forcing a smile as she looked at him. "I mean, fate has it's funny ways of doing things. Everyone dies sometime, right?"  
  
"Well, er, yeah", Raph replied, not knowing what to say. "I, erm, guess so". No big deal? He thought as the train slowed to a stop. It was a huge deal.  
  
"Come on", she said, ending the conversation there. You idiot, she thought, even by saying that you've brought on too much. Stupid or what?! She shook her head away from these thoughts. As she got up she turned to Raph. "We've gotta go the long way round", she explained. "Mikey took the only train there so we're up for a bit of a stronger-adventure. You sure you're up for it?" A smile played on her lips.  
  
Raph nodded. "You saying I'm weak?"  
  
"Precisely", she answered, and opened the door.  
  
Raph gasped when he looked out to see mountains, tones of mountains! He had never seen something so beautiful, yet so far, in his life. The ones closest look dark blue in the early-morning light, and he could see the lighter blue beyond the others as night slowly morphed into day. He could see 9 in all, reaching as far as his ninja eyes could go, and the sun looking like a round coin as it peeked over the furthest one.  
  
"It'll take ages to get over there!" Raph said.  
  
Kida sighed and shrugged. "I know, but this is the only way to reach Mikey and get the train back. Besides, Mikey's forest is one of many, so hopefully we'll be able to find your Master Splinter".  
  
Raph shook his head. "How long will it take?"  
  
"A day, maybe 2, if we keep moving", Kida replied.  
  
"This is ridiculous", Raph muttered.  
  
"You wanna find Splinter, don't ya?" Kida asked.  
  
"Yeah!" Raph said. "I just thought there'd be another way around".  
  
Kida sighed. What a wimp! "Listen, if you don't want to do it then don't come. But there isn't another way to get to Mikey, and he needs our help more than anything right now. You're acting like a baby!"  
  
"I am not!" Raph snapped, and growled. "Just go. I'll follow, unless you get lost".  
  
"Wish you would", she muttered. "You know, you're annoying!" She jumped off the train and landed on the grassy earth. It was like something out of a Homeward Bound film. Just like animals finding there way over mountains, through rivers and waterfalls, fighting bears and tigers alone. But this time, it was a human girl stuck with a turtle. Not one she particularly liked, either.  
  
"You think you're not?" Raph asked. "Little Miss Perfect!"  
  
She growled at him as he jumped off the train. The doors closed, and it vanished into thin air along with the tracks, leaving them alone in the wild.  
  
"Come on, Rick", she snapped. "The more miles we make up in the day the better. I don't want to look at your face when it's dark".  
  
Raph suddenly got a flashback of when he landed on top of her. "Too late", he said with a sarcastic grin. "Yours wasn't much prettier, Kipa".  
  
"It's Kida", she hissed as she started walking through the grass and trees.  
  
"Sure Kipa", Raph said as he started to follow.  
  
"Listen Rick", she snapped, turning around to face him. "I don't want to listen to your sarcastic voice all the way. I may have acted emotional on the train, but I'm not! So please don't get all smart-assed with me! You're annoying enough as it is! Got it?!"  
  
Raph narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't follow orders".  
  
"Maybe you should", she said, turning her back on him and flicking her long plait in his face by accident. He growled quietly but didn't say anything. "You should learn to respect people, before you feel guilty".  
  
"Pft, yeah, whatever", Raph said back, and they fell silent. Raph narrowed his eyes at the dusty ground in thought as he repeated her last words in his head. He respected Splinter, of course he did. Otherwise he wouldn't be here looking for him. But what she just said made it feel like Raph didn't respect his Master at all, despite all Splinter had ever done for him and his brothers.  
  
Kida had lost herself in her own silent world also. I've just described myself! She thought as soon as the words had left her lips. I've just talked about myself! She did respect Keja, but nowhere near enough! All the things he had done for her. Took her back to her home, and said had snapped at him in his face! I have to apologise, she ordered herself. When I've finished with the turtles I'll apologise. It was selfish of her. It was true that her house haunted her with the past, but it didn't mean she had to take it out on him. Or Raph. She lowered her head, ashamed. But Raph took his anger out on her as well. She could see it in his eyes. She felt anger towards him all the time, but she couldn't place why.  
  
She took one glance at him then.  
  
"What?!" Raph snapped.  
  
She growled at him and turned back around. Now she knew why.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(I'm ending this chapter here. Ok, I'm sorry I didn't post number 9 for ages but I felt as if this story was going down hill. Well, I think it is but I'm not the type to just quit. I'll spice it up, promise! Thanks Neosun, Dawatella, and Raph for ya reviews! Besides, evil is always lurking around the corner in fics, mwahaha. Lol, ok, thanks again! Love ya! Peace!  
  
tmnt_luver xx) 


	11. It Will Only Get Worse

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"Raph!!?" Donnie shouted. "Raph . . . RA-APH!!"  
  
A noise sounded out down the deserted corridor and Donnie sharply spun around. The corridor divided into 2 parts as he walked down, and he slowly went to his left. He looked into the deserted rooms as he went along, frantically searching for his now-missing brother.  
  
"RAPH!" he yelled.  
  
Another noise came from the door at the end of the corridor.  
  
"Raph?" Donnie said, this time more quietly. He walked over to the door, his heart pounding in his chest. "Raph? Is that you?"  
  
He could hear movements from the other side of the door, and reached out to grab the handle. It sounded like scratching or something. Donnie gulped. It was probably something with really . . . big claws. Shaking his head, Donnie slowly came back down to earth. Now he was really letting his imagination get the better of him. A moan came from the other side.  
  
"Raph? If you're hiding, this isn't funny!"  
  
Donnie grasped the door handle and yanked it open. Darkness engulfed him as he took a slow step inside. He could hear sniffs, soft crying. "Raph?" he said again, but he knew it wasn't his brother at all. "I - is anybody here?"  
  
The sniffs became louder, as well as the sobbing. Donnie felt the wall for a light switch, but he couldn't find anything. "Hello . . .? Are - are you ok?"  
  
He felt stupid asking, knowing he might have been talking to no one but himself. But a loud, shuddering cry sounded out and he almost jumped out of his shell. Donnie moved forward some more, and as he did he saw the outline of someone sitting against a wall, their head down. He couldn't see properly, but they didn't look human.  
  
"Erm, you ok?" he asked, moving in closer, almost a metre away.  
  
Another cry.  
  
"Hey, it's ok, I won't hurt you", Donnie said gently, moving even closer.  
  
Suddenly, a full face came into view right next to him, but he still couldn't see it and shouted "gotcha!!" Donnie let out an "ahh!!" and fell flat on his shell. He lifted himself up, putting a hand to his heart as the person let out a laugh.  
  
"Oh! Oh! That was so funny!" by the sounds of the voice, it was a he, and he sounded so familiar. "Your face! Man, I kill myself".  
  
Donnie gave himself a few minutes to get his heart rate back down to normal speed. He frowned and tried to make out the figure. "Oh - okay", he panted. "That w - was not very funny. Who are you?"  
  
The laughing subsided a bit. "Okay . . . okay, sorry, but your face!" he said. "Who? Me? Why don't you turn the lights on?"  
  
Donnie looked around. "I - um - there are no lights".  
  
"No lights?" the voice sounded surprised. "Oh. CLAP ON!!"  
  
Blinding lights flashed down from the ceiling and Donnie had to shield his eyes for a while. He blinked, and opened them gradually to discover himself standing in a small room. All the walls were painted, forest style, and the floor looked like a concrete path. The wall straight opposite him had a huge tree painted on it, slowly leaning over as the leaves on its branches began to fall.  
  
Donnie raised an eye ridge. Moving paintings? He thought. Cool.  
  
"Hi!!" the voice said.  
  
Donnie frowned and slowly looked down, coming face to face with the voice that sounded so familiar. And now he knew why!! He was standing opposite Donkey! Donkey from Shrek!!  
  
Donkey grinned, his cute-teeth-showing grin. "What? Something in my teeth?"  
  
Donnie gasped. "I - I - you -" he tried, swallowing hard. "You're Eddie Murphy!"  
  
Donkey's smile vanished. "Noooo", he said sweetly. "I'm Donkey".  
  
"No!" Donnie said, unable to believe it. "No, Eddie Murphy's voice! You - you're a DreamWorks creation. You're not real!!"  
  
Donkey tilted his head to one side. "Not real?" he asked. "Man, what's wrong with c'hu? Of course I'm real! Errrr, who's Eddie Murphy?"  
  
"You don't know?" Donnie frowned.  
  
Donkey shook his head, smiling, and Donnie got a sudden flashback of the film.  
  
"Nope!" Donkey smiled.  
  
Donnie raised an eye ridge. "Oh, er, really?"  
  
"Really really!" he grinned, and Donnie closed his eyes and shook his head. "Man, you weird! But I like you. What's your name?"  
  
Donnie rubbed the back of his head. "Er - Donnie".  
  
"Donnie?" Donkey frowned. "Well, you know what I like about you Donnie? You've got that I don't care what no one thinks of me thing! I like that Donnie, I respect that, and you're all right!"  
  
Donnie frowned, another flashback coming to him. "This - is too . . . weird!"  
  
"Yeah", Donkey said, and nodded his head repeatedly. "Yeah, you are a bit. But I still like ya! So what's a turtle like you doing in a dimensional world?"  
  
Donnie looked at him. "Don't you wonder what you're doing here?"  
  
Donkey shook his head. "Nope!" he grinned.  
  
"Rea -" Donnie stopped himself and sighed. "How long have you been here?"  
  
"All my life!" Donkey replied. "This is my pad! I got food, fresh greens, waffles!" - he added in a deep, breathing voice. "I've always been here. So!" Donkey's ears perked up excitedly. "What about c'hu?!"  
  
"Er -" Donnie started. "I was transported here - to save my Master Splinter".  
  
"Is he a turtle too?" Donkey asked.  
  
"No".  
  
Donkey's ears flopped down. "Oooh. So! Anymore of you, huh?"  
  
"Three", Donnie replied. "My brothers, Leo, Mikey and Raph. We lived in the sewers of New York before we got sent here. Then we, er, got separated. I was looking for Raph. He was with me 15 minutes ago - but he just vanished".  
  
"Need some help finding them?!" Donkey asked, his ears perking up.  
  
Donnie frowned sweetly. "Well, erm, I don't think it, er, would be -"  
  
"Please!!" Donkey begged, running up to Donnie and putting his first to hoofs on his plastron, pinning him to the wall. "I don't wanna stay here forever you don't know what it's like to be stuck here!" - Donnie raised an eye ridge - "well, er, maybe . . . you do! But that's why you've gotta let me come with you! Please! Please, please! -"  
  
"Ok!" Donnie said, brushing him off. "Okay . . . but you've got to be careful".  
  
"Oh, this is gonna be fun!" Donkey grinned. "We can go to different dimensions! Swap manly stories through each one! I'm making waffles!!"  
  
Donnie rolled his eyes. "Oh brother".  
  
"No, er, no", Donkey said. "We're finding you're brothers. I'm an only child".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Mikey dozed in and out of sleep as he sat in his 'shelter' for the night. As he looked outside he could see the sun slowly peeking out over the trees, giving it a beautiful glow. But he could also see the slight glistening of frost, and his heart sank. The cave provided some warmth, as he had made a fire last night, and it crackled away next to him. He was thankful to have a brother like Leo, who taught him survival steps when they were younger. The fire was dying down now though, and Mikey knew that he'd have to go out sometime. But since he was in such danger of the cold, he didn't dare move. He had plenty of leaves and sticks with him, and something told him to stay put. He knew someone was coming to get him.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Is this ok?" Kida heard Raph ask.  
  
"Yes", she snapped, for no apparent reason. "It's ok". They were now miles into the wilderness, and she was getting sick of him faulting on her, as if she didn't know where she was going. She knew the way - but she did get lost here when she was 10 and that's how she first met Tiran. She carried on talking, unaware that what Raph said was not what she thought. "You should have some faith in people. I've been in this place ages and yet you doubt me all the -"  
  
"I didn't say 'is this ok'", he snapped in interruption. "I said are you ok?"  
  
She seemed slightly shocked that he asked. "Yeah, why?"  
  
"Think I know when someone's ill", Raph replied, walking behind her. She turned her head round to look at him, stopping in her tracks.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh, come on!" Raph said, annoyed. "I can hear your breathing from way behind you! It's freezing cold and you keep fanning yourself with your t- shirt as if it was Hawaii! What's wrong with you?"  
  
"I haven't been fanning myself", she argued.  
  
Raph sighed and rolled his eyes, looking at her.  
  
Kida looked down to where her hand had gripped her t-shirt near her chest, and she was fanning it in and out to get some air on her face. She narrowed her eyes and dropped her hand. She smiled slightly at Raph, and he glanced at her red cheeks, giving her a warm look, as if she had been sat near a fire too long - and the glow had gone to her cheeks.  
  
He slapped himself mentally. What's wrong with you? He asked himself.  
  
Kida frowned. "I think the reason you're saying this is because you're freezing cold yourself", she said positively. "Sorry - forgot that you were turtle for a while there".  
  
"Yeah", Raph said sarcastically. "The shell's just for show!"  
  
She growled at him. "You don't deserve this but -" She clicked her fingers and smiled at him. "How cute", she said, injecting the same sarcastic tone as Raph.  
  
Raph looked down at the very baggy, red jumper he was now in. It covered his shell and just went over the bottom of his plastron. He looked at the black trousers he was wearing and sneakers, and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Red's not my colour", he said to her.  
  
"Yah - suuuuure", she said slowly, looking at his bandanna.  
  
"I don't need to wear human clothes", he said.  
  
"I think you do", she said, and turned around. It was amazing how human they looked really, Kida found herself thinking. It was just the green skin that gave them away. But without that, they wouldn't be unique. They carried on walking in silence, Raph with his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he gradually warmed up. He wasn't used to human clothes, but was amazed at how much better he felt.  
  
Kida stopped near and tree and plonked herself down. "10 minute rest", she said.  
  
Raph sat down opposite her, leaning his shell against a massive stone.  
  
Kida wiped the beads of sweat from her face and sighed. Her head felt hot, her body felt hot, even her hair was starting to annoy her - and she loved her hair. She took her plait out and started doing it again. Raph watched her silently as she put her hair bobble back in and flicked her loose plait behind her, raking her fingers through the layers at the front of her face, only to have them fall down again.  
  
She smiled slightly at him, pushing her layers back again. They fell back over her eyes and cheeks a second later.  
  
"They always do that", she said. "My mom never wanted me to grow them out. Said it gave me a sweet look. She should have tried to put up with it. But she did insist I grow my hair out, and when she died - I refused to grow the layers out - having them cut every month so they wouldn't, just for her". Her smiled looked saddened, as if she was in a memory.  
  
Raph frowned. Her layers did make her face complete - but why did she just tell him that? He tilted his head to one side, his frown deepening slightly.  
  
Kida frowned also, looking at him beneath her dark lashes. "I, erm, have no idea why I just told you that", she said slowly.  
  
Raph didn't say anything, just brought one leg up to rest his arm on his knee. He picked up a leave and started to rip it in half, then quarters. He kept his head down, his frown still on his face. When he looked up Kida's head was down also, and her eyes were closed. His eyes widened slightly at her burning cheeks, and when her head tilted to one side he stood up quickly.  
  
Kida's eyes snapped open. "What!?!" she asked, thinking someone was near them. She looked up at him. "What is it?"  
  
"I, erm, thought I heard something", Raph said quickly.  
  
"Huh?" She turned her head sideways, looking through the trees and watching the leaves blow up off the floor, just to twirl around in mid-air and lightly fall to the ground again. "I can't hear anything".  
  
"Must have been a rabbit", Raph lied.  
  
She stood up, swaying a bit. "Must have been", she nodded. "Let's keep going".  
  
"Maybe -", Raph started, choosing his words as carefully as he could without sounding concerned. Concerned wasn't his style. "Maybe you should stop for a bit longer".  
  
"Look", Kida said firmly. "My health is my business, ok?"  
  
"Fine", Raph snapped. "Sorry I asked".  
  
"Don't ask then", she snapped, and started to walk away.  
  
Raph growled, his hands bunched up in anger, and reluctantly followed her.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Look, Donkey", Don said. "I know you're trying to help me. But this just isn't the way to do it!"  
  
Donnie looked down at his Bo and then up into the face of a ninja, very similar to the ones they fought when they first came in the dimensional world. But they were all dressed in blue. ALL meaning the 20 odd that surrounded them.  
  
Donkey ears flopped down when he sighed. "Sorreeeee".  
  
"Yeah", Donnie said. "I don't think shouting 'hey dudes! Ya look a bit blue' was a way to ask them for directions".  
  
"I could sing 'I'm Blue'", Donkey suggested, as he started to hum.  
  
"NOO!" Donnie yelled, and realised he wasn't the only one who did.  
  
He turned back around to the first ninja, and lowered his Bo, accidentally poking Donkey in the eye. "Did -" Donnie said suspiciously, "did you just talk?!"  
  
The one standing straight in front of Donnie put his hand up to his head, rubbing the back of his neck before taking his mask off. Donnie looked into the face of a teenager, maybe a bit older than him, with scruffy brown hair, a muscular profile and green eyes, with a green bandanna was tied around his head. Donnie frowned, taking a small step back, accidentally poking Donkey on the side of his face again.  
  
"Who are you?" Donnie asked, putting his Bo back in the pocket on his shell, hitting Donkey a third time as he brought it up behind him.  
  
"The most important question", the boy spoke, "is who are you?"  
  
"I'm Donatello", Don said, and motioned with his hand to Donkey. "And this is Donkey. We're looking for my brothers".  
  
The boy whispered something to the ninja next to him before turning back to Donnie, he raised an eyebrow on his handsome, but young, face. "I am Theo", he said, holding out his hand. "It is a pleasure to see someone here, one of our age".  
  
Donnie frowned, but shook Theo's hand in a firm shake. "Do you, er, live here?" Donnie asked.  
  
"We've lived here as long as Kida has", Theo said, waving his hand in the air in explanation. A few of the ninja walked down the corridors of the hospital, whispering to each other before disappearing in separate rooms. "It is true when they say you have to save your love one to leave. The number has grown over the years".  
  
"You know Kida?"  
  
Theo gave a small smile. "Everybody knows Kida". Theo untied his belt that held his ninja outfit together, and shrugged it off. He was wearing black jeans and a green t-shirt. "She is the princess of this place".  
  
"I know", Donnie said. "But if you've been here as long as her, she must ha -".  
  
"She did not need to rescue anyone", Theo interrupted softly. "If you recall, she may have told you that her parents died when she was younger, along with her brother and sister".  
  
"She has a brother and sister?" Donnie asked.  
  
"Not anymore", Theo spoke sadly. "I don't think your brothers know of her family, but it is true that she has no other family. Apart from Keja, who has taken to be her guardian".  
  
"How did her family die?" Donnie raised an eye ridge.  
  
Theo tilted his head to the floor but looked up at Donnie. "That is not my means to tell", he said. "Kida does not speak of it. It is hidden far too deep inside of her. As the years grow, her past is buried further inside her heart, and she wills it not to come out. Her anger covers up for it, which is why she does not get along with your brother, Raphael".  
  
"You've seen Raph?"  
  
"Once", Theo replied, "but only with Kida on the paths".  
  
Donnie rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you remember when?"  
  
"About 2 hours ago", Theo said. "I believe she is leading him to your other brothers, however many you have. I do not know all the information. I have only watched from a distance. Kida and I have not seen each other for some time - I remain in the hospital with my friends, to help anyone who fails settle in this place".  
  
"Oh". Donnie looked around him, to see that they were alone.  
  
"Come on", Theo said. "I will help you find Kida".  
  
"But what about Donkey?"  
  
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Donkey does not leave this place. It is his home. He already knows of our presence - look". Theo walked over to a door and opened it slightly. Inside Donkey was laughing with Theo's friends, who had stripped themselves of their uniforms and were all young-looking teenagers. For people who were trapped, they sure looked happy.  
  
Theo seemed to read Donnie's mind. "It is important to stay happy here", he said. "Otherwise we would never get along, and would slip into darkness".  
  
Donnie nodded, and smiled slightly. "Bye Donkey", he said quietly. "It was great to meet a TV star - even if it only was for 30 minutes".  
  
Theo closed the door. "You have not lost a friend", he said. "Donkey remembers all those who speak to him, taking in his happy attitude and his need for friends. In fact, you have gained another friend". Theo smiled, holding out his hand again. "Donatello".  
  
Donnie grinned and shook Theo's hand again. "Thank you".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"WHOA!"  
  
Raph went flying past Kida, landing on his shell.  
  
Kida's face loomed over him, and she smiled slightly. "You ok?" she asked.  
  
Raph struggled up and slipped before regaining his balance. "Remind me why we can't go around this thing?!" he snapped, looking at his reflection in the massive iced-over lake they were standing on.  
  
Kida sighed. "Takes 5 hours to get round", she said.  
  
"And to go across?" Raph asked.  
  
She smiled. "Two".  
  
"What if this cracks?"  
  
"Never does", she replied. "It's been frozen over for years. I know it's slippery, but it's just like skating over it really. You're lucky I gave you shoes to wear!"  
  
"How thoughtful", Raph said sarcastically.  
  
Kida narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, a massive "CRAAACK!" sounded out along the ice and Raph and Kida looked down to see a single line at their feet. It slowly grew bigger, and bigger. Raph looked at Kida, his eyes wide. She looked down at her feet, and put a finger to her lips to silence him. Raph gave her a look that said "WHAT!?!"  
  
"Don't move", she whispered. "Otherwise it will crack".  
  
"We can't just stand here!" Raph hissed.  
  
"We're not!" she hissed back, and brought her fingers up to her face, preparing to click them together. "Just give me a few seconds . . ." She closed her eyes, and all went silent except for the occasional "crack!"  
  
"Kida!" Raph whispered as the cracks divided, going in all directions.  
  
She just lifted her other hand to silence him again. Raph's eyes went slightly wider as a small ball of silver light came from the tip of Kida's middle finger and thumb. He took a step back, but when his foot connected with the ice he suddenly fell through. The ice-cold water soaked through his trouser leg and sneaker, making his leg feel numb before he had time to react. He let out a gasp, but before he could say anything he was surrounded by a blast of silver beams. The lake vanished before his eyes, and then he fount himself staring at loads of trees behind Kida.  
  
Kida's breathing was heavy, and she looked at Raph as her shoulders went up and down in an attempt to go back to her normal breathing pattern. Raph knew then that she WAS seriously ill.  
  
"A-are you ok?!" she asked, moving towards him.  
  
Raph looked at his soaked leg and shivered. "Just fine", he replied.  
  
"Here". She clicked her fingers again and Raph's trouser leg and sneaker went back to being dry. He also felt a breeze of hot air go up his leg. "Let's go in here". She motioned her hand to a tree right next to her.  
  
"Erm", Raph frowned. "That's a tree".  
  
"Gosh, you're clever", she said in a false, posh-girly voice.  
  
Raph growled.  
  
Kida sighed, her breathing almost back to its normal rate. "Come on". She turned her back on him, and to Raph's surprise, walked straight through it.  
  
Raph knew that nothing was what it seemed here, so he slowly put his arm through. A second later someone gave it a really hard tug and he when flying through it into a wall. Raph growled and stood up, brushing off the dust off his jumper. He looked up to find himself in some sort of bedroom, with one double bed and blue walls; he could also see a small kitchen attached in the corner. He suddenly spun around on Kida and grabbed her shoulders.  
  
"What the hell was that for?!" he snapped.  
  
She growled at him and pushed him away from her. "I didn't do that!" she yelled. "I got thrown into the wall, too! Jesus, don't jump to conclusions! There wasn't another way to get in! Show some strength, will ya?!" She took a deep breath in. "I'm gonna get something to eat . . ."  
  
She walked into the small kitchen attachment and leaned over the sink. The water coming of the tap dripped nosily, but Kida ignored it. She grabbed a glass from the cupboard above her, filled it up with water, and gulped it down in one go. A pain suddenly rushed through her shoulder, up to her head where she already had a headache. The glass slipped from her hand, and shattered in the sink, sending pieces of glass flying.  
  
Raph grabbed his sais and spun around, startled. "What -?!"  
  
Kida already flushed face looked up, and her eyes widened slightly. "Sorry", she said quickly. "D-dropped the glass . . ." Her hand reached up to softly touch her shoulder, and she tried to hide her face as she winced.  
  
"Your hand . . ." Raph nodded downwards. He put his sais away.  
  
Kida looked to her right hand and sighed. A cut went across her palm and blood slowly dripped from it onto the light-blue coloured carpet. She put her hand over the running cold water, turning away from Raph.  
  
Raph came up behind her. "Is it ok?"  
  
"Fine", she replied, her voice emotionless. "No harm done". She clicked her fingers and some bandages appeared on the worktop, along with some first- aid tape and cotton wool. Kida grabbed the bandage roll, trying to wrap her hand and tape it at the same time.  
  
Raph gave an invisible sigh. "Here, let me help you". He grabbed her hand before she could protest, and grabbed a cotton wool ball, letting it run under the tap before applying it firmly to her hand. Kida winced and pull her hand away slightly.  
  
"Sorry", Raph said, and for the first time, she believed his words.  
  
Raph cleaned her wound in silence, not looking anywhere but her hand. Kida was looking side-ways over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed firmly on the floor as if she was in deep concentrate. Raph was surprised that Donnie's first-aid techniques actually helped. Not that they hadn't learnt anything from Splinter, but Donnie was always taking his first-aid the most serious.  
  
Raph grabbed the bandage roll out of Kida's other hand, and she sighed. He looked up at her, thinking she was sighing at him, but she wasn't - her eyes were still glued to the floor. Raph shrugged and started to wrap her hand up, grabbing the tape roll afterwards a ripping a good piece off. He put it on her hand, securing the bandage together. He let go of her hand, which he noticed was like ice, and started to wash his hands.  
  
"Done", he said, and Kida came out of her trance.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Done", Raph repeated, nodding to her hand. He grabbed a towel that was hanging up near the wall and started to dry his hands.  
  
"Oh . . ." Kida looked at her perfectly wrapped up hand. Wow, she thought, and I was there thinking her was 100% useless. "Er, thanks, Rick . . ." She smiled slightly.  
  
"Welcome, Kipa", Raph said, and tossed the towel back. Kida grabbed it just as it aimed for the hook above her, and wiped her forehead with it. She hung it back up, and looked at Raph, who was now staring at her with one eye ridge raised.  
  
"What?!" she asked, trying not to snap.  
  
Raph looked at her burnt cheeks (now looking like she had spent far too long next to a fire, though she could actually do with sitting near one now - to sweat off whatever she had) and then her cold hands. He frowned. It was like a fever he and his brothers used to get when they never sweated it off to begin with. Well, more himself, because he never really listened to Donnie that much. But now his brother's voice echoed through his head:  
  
"It'll only get worse . . ." Donnie always repeated.  
  
"What?" Kida asked again, and Raph came back to earth.  
  
He repeated Donnie's words to himself, but when he saw Kida's determined face he knew that he couldn't do anything. He didn't really like her anyway, and at the time thought "good! You deserved to be ill!" but now he was having doubts.  
  
"What?!" Kida finally snapped.  
  
Raph sighed angrily. "Nothing . . ."  
  
Kida just shrugged, looking at him quite angrily - but thankfulness showed in her bright blue eyes, just a bit, that is. She turned her back on him, and walked over to the huge bed, sitting on the floor but leaning against it. She brought her knees up and rested her arms on them, putting each hand on her elbows.  
  
Raph glanced at her again, Donnie's words just never leaving his head.  
  
"It'll only get worse . . ."  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Hey all. No, my story isn't going over a waterfall, Raph, its half way down river! Lol. Mistakes? Where? * Runs off to find mistakes * I will find you! Evil mistakes of doom! Heh, thanks guys - for your reviews, obviously. * Slaps herself * Duh, luver, what else would they be for? Kida? Hehe, thanks anyway, peace out!  
  
tmnt_luver xx [oh, and no, I do not own Donkey] * Runs off to dream that she owns Donkey, TMNT, and -! Thinks * I'll get back to you on the third ^_^ . . .) 


	12. Kidas Past Revealed

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"So, if it's not a personal question, how did you end up here Theo?"  
  
Theo turned to Donnie with a sadden look in his eyes, but continued to climb the massive ladder they were on. He said it was their only way out, and even though Donnie could no longer see the floor (or the top, for that matter), he believed him.  
  
"I had to save my mom", he answered, climbing at the same time. "She was said to have something special inside of her, though at the time I didn't know what. I mean I was just a stuck-up 9-year-old kid. I had 4 days, just like you, but being the curious kid I was, I didn't make it very far . . . or to my mom in time".  
  
Donnie eye-ridges tilted up sadly. "I'm sorry".  
  
Theo smiled slightly. "Hey, no big"  
  
They continued to climb in silence until Donnie asked another question.  
  
"Theo . . ." he said slowly, confused. "I thought that when you got stuck here you could spend the time with the loved one you were trying to save . . . so, where's your mom?"  
  
"I did spend a year with my mom here, and a few other kids", Theo said, looking up to the top of ladder. "But me and my mom weren't exactly on the same view of things, if you get my meaning. Ever since my dad died when I was 5, mom and I never got along".  
  
"So what happened?"  
  
Theo sighed. "She died half way through my first year".  
  
"Oh, I'm -"  
  
"Hey, don't apologise", Theo interrupted. "You weren't to know. To be honest I think it was for the best. I loved her, but I was too selfish at the time to say it. Mom never liked it here. Said she couldn't wait to leave. Deep down she knew just as well as I did that we were never meant to leave".  
  
"Are you happy here?" Donnie asked.  
  
Theo thought about that for a second. "Sometimes I do wish I could go back home. But then, what would I go back to? I have no other family - so now my home is here, with my other friends".  
  
"So, erm, how did you meet Kida?"  
  
"She sort of popped up half way when I was looking for my mom", Theo said. "I was 2 days gone and I fount Kida in one of the forests. I could see Keja from a distance watching her. It was obvious to tell she wanted to be alone. She was - well, she wouldn't stop crying. I think it was when Keja first brought her here. She didn't really like - or trust - him at the time".  
  
"Oh . . ." Donnie frowned.  
  
"Yeah", Theo nodded, even though Donnie couldn't see it. "You just wouldn't though, I suppose. All your family dead and then someone just comes and takes you to a dimensional world".  
  
"Suppose not", Donnie said. But in his head he was thinking, "how did Keja know about Kida's family, then? Kids loose their families and end up orphans - so what did Kida have that was different?"  
  
"Well, anyway", Theo continued, "Keja saw me and he vanished. I swear I could hear his voice in my head asking me to talk to her. But when I went over she - er - kinda gave me a right good punch in my stomach. She thought I was trying to attack her, and since I was a stubborn little brat it sort of turned into a fight. I didn't like hitting girls, but she was seriously pushing all the wrong buttons".  
  
Donnie laughed. "And . . .?"  
  
"And I told her I wasn't there to hurt her. Took a while getting through to her, though. She was trying to beat the living daylights outta me. I told her she couldn't fight everyone she saw, otherwise she would never save her loved one". Theo rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought she was there saving someone, like me. But then she totally freaked out. Started screaming in my face that she had no family, that it was all Keja's fault, that she hated this place and anyone who was in it".  
  
Donnie's smiled went off his face. Why would it be Keja's fault?  
  
Theo gave a small smile. "She slapped me after that. Told me to get lost. I had to shout at her to get anything else in. I told her that I'd lost my dad - I knew what it was like. But that upset her more. I was an only child. She screamed at me and said that at least I still had my mum, but she had nothing. Her twin brother, baby sister, mom and dad were gone in a matter of minutes. She started crying again after that. Exhausted herself. She was a year younger than me, 8 at the time, and yet she seemed smarter".  
  
"Why did she seem that?" Donnie asked, listening carefully.  
  
"Just did", Theo said, looking down at him and smiling. "Well, she stood up for herself. Even when I went near her she still managed to scream at me through her tears. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't expecting that. I knew Keja was still watching from somewhere, and my time was running short, but I just couldn't leave her like that. I just grabbed her, shook her some, until she stopped screaming. She told me what had happened to her family after that. I think it helped to get it all out to someone. I stayed there with her the whole night. After that she asked if she could come with me, help me, but I said no. Turned out she followed me everywhere, just because she wanted to help. She didn't want anyone loosing his or her family, like she did. Kida's not the type to make friends, as I've witnessed over the years. But I was the first one she made in this place, and we've been good friends ever since. I haven't seen her for nearly a year now. More people come to this place, and Kida does her best to help them. Keja's doesn't like her to, because it's the person's responsibility to find their loved ones, not hers. But she helps anyway, even got herself seriously hurt sometimes, just because she doesn't want the people in this world to go what she went through".  
  
"Theo", Donnie said. "But why would it be Keja's fault that her family died?"  
  
Theo stopped climbing the ladder and turned to face Donnie. Donnie looked up sweetly, waiting for an answer. Theo sighed.  
  
"In this world there is said to be a dimensional place that holds beasts, monsters, or - the most common - dragons. Some are harmless, some aren't. It is said that one dragon, which no one speaks of, killed Kida's family. Kida never speaks of it, because it haunts her dreams".  
  
"But how is Keja involved?" Donnie asked.  
  
"Keja has to keep everything in this world under control", Theo said. "But this dragon was too powerful. It escaped, released itself from Keja's grasp, and roamed the city of New York. Kida's family got caught in its path, and Kida was the only survivor. She had remembered too much, so Keja couldn't leave her in NY. He captured the dragon, putting it in a dimension no one knows of - making the security unbreakable. He made it look like Kida's family died in an explosion, and took Kida back to the dimensional world with him. So you see, Keja was responsible for her family's death, and even though Kida has forgiven him, he will never forgive himself. Because of him, 4 lives were destroy, Kida's past was crushed, her dreams were shattered, and her need for friendship was taken away, leaving only anger in the surface. Because of him, Kida has no family".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
I don't belong here, Kida thought. She was standing in the New York Central Park, looking around the deserted area, even though it was broad daylight, her only thoughts entering her head as she walked around, taking things in like a diary - just like she used to when she was 7 . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
I like it here. The air is sweet, calm, with the distance sounds of traffic around New York City. The slow rumbles of traffic are what make the city come to life. Without it, this place wouldn't feel like home. My brother leans over me as I write this, his identical face to mine looming in closer, his floppy black hair covering his bright blue eyes - just like mine. I don't mind, even as he shouts "hey! Stop writing all this!" I continue. I never keep secrets from Adam. Being a twin, you can't keep secrets from one another. I always say that I'd prefer a sister, but I would never give up my brother for one. I don't know what it's like having an older sister. Most of my friends moan. "My sister's taken my clothes, again!" "My older sister never lets me do anything with her friends!" "I hate my sister so much!" But I wouldn't mind testing it out - but I still wouldn't swap Adam if that was the price. He's my best friend, my other half, without him; life is empty, as if half of my heart has gone. He's run off now. Gone of to play with Reilly, my 10-month-old baby sis.  
  
She's so beautiful. Mum said she looks like a younger version of me. Which I agree, she does. Her hair is already past her shoulders, like mine was when I was a baby, so I know that she's going to have long hair like me. Her eyes are green, though, like dads, and she's got dad's round face and mum's full lips. Adam looks more like dad, too, but I fully take after mum - her hair is slightly a lighter shade. Dad's is fully black, and mum blamed him for our hair colour because none of us have got her brown / black shade.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Kida frowned. She remembered all of that. She was brilliant at her writing when she was younger. Why now? She thought suddenly. Why do I have to remember that now? But she remembered, even when she put that diary down and stopped writing, she was still writing in her head.  
  
////  
  
Raph frowned at Kida. She was still leaning against the bed but now she had fallen asleep. They'd only been in the tree for 10 minutes, and Raph knew that he'd have to wake her up soon. Otherwise she'd probably have a go at him for wasting time. Raph growled slightly. She was making him mad now because he knew what she'd do if he didn't wake her. He stopped practicing with his sais and put them away, and walked over to her. She was stirring now, muttering something. He leaned in a bit closer to try and get what she was saying . . .  
  
////  
  
Kida rolled her head from side to side, her imaginary diary haunting her in her dreams. She was dreaming a dream she didn't want to see, but it wasn't going to stop. Her own voice wouldn't stop . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
I put my diary down. Dad comes up to me from behind and lifts me up, tickling me to death like he has done so many times. I rub my nose against his, something I loved. He smiles at me and puts me down, ruffling my long hair. I don't mind. He could never annoy me because I don't care if my hair's messy. Mum shakes her pretty head from where she is sitting on the grass. Dad walks over to her and gives her a kiss on the cheek before going over to play with Adam and Reilly, spinning Adam around first. I laugh.  
  
Mum smiles at me from where she is sitting and motions with her head for me to come and join her. It is a family picnic, and since me, Adam and Reilly have eaten most of the food, there is only drink left.  
  
I smile and walk over to her, kneeling in front of her so she can brush my long hair and plait it while talking to me, telling me that I'll grow up to be a beautiful girl one day. I told her that I didn't care; I hated boys anyways, except Adam. She laughs, continuing to plait my hair at the same time. My mum is very gentle. She's a doctor, along with my dad (which is how they met in the first place) and wouldn't hurt anyone. She loves her kids, along with me. Even though Adam and me are twins, I was first-born.  
  
Something suddenly lets out a terrifying roar, breaking up our happy- families trance. I screamed, jumping up and clinging onto mum. Mum grabs my shoulders and tells me that it's ok.  
  
My vision goes fussy with tears, but through the blanket of wetness that covers my eyes I can see Reilly roaring her heart out and Adam clinging onto one of dad's legs. Something is moving in the trees, and since we are the only ones in the park, we know it's not human. I always believed in magic (what 7-year-old wouldn't?) but now I didn't like it. It now seems scary.  
  
Dad suddenly picks up Reilly and starts to run towards us. Mum stands up, with me clinging onto her legs. Dad shouts at us to run. Something was lurking in the trees. I look past mum's trousers to see a horrible pair of blood-coloured eyes just in front of Adams, and I can see the sharp glint of teeth. Reilly's screams echo in my ears, and mum's terrified shouts can be heard in the background.  
  
Adam is staring in shock at the thing hidden behind the trunks of the thick trees. I let go of mum's leg and run towards him. Dad's hand reaches out to grab mine, but he misses and all I can think about it getting to my brother.  
  
Suddenly a bright light shines out beyond the leaves, and I hear another man's cries, begging the creature to him. I have no idea where this man is, but his voice gets closer. I look at the creature in shock, taking in his horrible face, blooded eyes and teeth. It's a dragon! As I look closer I can feel its hot breath on my t-shirt, but now there is no Adam. Tears fall from my eyes as I let out massive sobs. Mum is screaming at me to run. My heart tells me to stay with mum, dad and Reilly - because I knew Adam was gone and it was just 3 of us now, but when I hear dad's pleas for me to run, I turn and head off in the direction of the trees.  
  
I barely make it 10 metres when I hear a horrible cry, followed by another and then a baby's cry. I turn around and run back, and all I can see is blood and fire. Fire spreads across the fresh-cut grass and blood drips over the picnic blanket. Reilly's dummy is lying in a pool of blood as well as her bib. I scream until I think my head is going to explode.  
  
The creature is gone now, and so is my family.  
  
I hear a noise behind me, and I turn around. A man with collar-length hair and green eyes comes out from the trees, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans and a trench coat. At first I shoot up, thinking it was dad because of his eyes, but it wasn't. He looks down at me sadly and reaches a hand out to touch me. I punch his hand away with my little fists and start crying again. I can't hear what the man is saying, but I hear the name Keja and he keeps saying sorry. I look up at him from my kneeling position on the floor and he looks back at me with the deepest sympathy in his eyes. It was then that I reluctantly tell him my name, and he speaks to me in his deep, calm voice:  
  
"I'm so sorry, Kida", he is saying. "You're family is dead. I'm so, so sorry . . ."  
  
By now I don't care whether he is sorry or not, because I know that he did it. He killed my family; otherwise these apologies wouldn't even be happening. I suddenly scream and lash out at him, punching his stomach with as much energy as I can muster. He just stares down at me with his eyebrows turned up so sadly. I scream murder at him, saying as many nasty things as I can. He grabs my wrists and kneels down to my level, and I scream at him to let go. He covers my mouth gently with one hand, holding my wrists in the other.  
  
"It's true", he says. "I'm so sorry, Kida".  
  
My tears drip over his hands and onto the blood-soaked floor. I look down at my family's blood - my own blood - and I know they are dead.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Kida! . . . Kida! Wake up!"  
  
She was crying now. Actually crying. Raph took a step back in shock when he saw tears drip down either side of her face. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her a bit, but she just tried to swipe at him with her hands. Raph let out an "ow!" when she punched him in the face. He grabbed her hands and shook her roughly.  
  
"WAKE UP, KIDA!"  
  
Her eyes shot open, and Raph let go.  
  
Kida looked around the tree she and Raph were still in and sighed, thankful that she had woken up from her nightmare. When she felt the dampness around she eyes she got up and walked over to the kitchen, as if Raph wasn't even there, and grabbed the towel that was hanging up, wiping her sore eyes with it. She clicked her fingers and some tissue appeared in her hands. She blew her nose and threw the soaked material away before finally turning to Raph.  
  
"Why didn't you wake me when you knew I was dropping off!?!" she suddenly shouted, and Raph looked at her in shock.  
  
"Excuse me, Miss Perfect!!" Raph shouted at her. "Since when did I become your personal wake-up call?!!"  
  
"Look", she yelled, "we're supposed to be covering as many miles as we can before dark. How am I supposed to lead the way when you're letting me snooze on the floor?! Jesus, what is it with you?!"  
  
"ME!?!" Raph snapped. "I'm not the one who fell asleep in the first place, so remember that! I can't wake you when you're roaring your eyes out, can I?!"  
  
"YES!" she shouted back.  
  
"Oh - suuuuure", Raph said sarcastically. "When you keep muttering 'Adam! Adam! Nooo!' I'm supposed to walk over to you, tap you gently on the shoulder and say 'Kida, wake up' - not that you could hear me over your screams!"  
  
Kida stomped over to him then and slapped him around the face before he could even see it coming. Raph growled angrily and pulled out his sais, pointing both of them in her face. She blinked, but her red-eyes (due to so much crying), stared at him evilly. With the tip of her finger, she gently pushed his sais away from her face, and leaned in towards him.  
  
"Don't ever repeat someone's cries", she hissed. "Especially mine".  
  
With that she turned away from him and walked outside. Raph put his sais away and frowned. Who the hell was Adam? He had heard the name Reilly, too. He shook his head and touched his burning cheek where she had slapped it. That had actually hurt - surprisingly. He cheeks probably didn't burn as much as hers, but now his left one had probably come close. Raph sighed, and walked out of the tree angrily.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
When Leo woke up that late morning the first thing he saw was a face full of Tiran, zooming up close on him. Leo forgot who he was for a second, and let out a small cry before falling off the bed he was on.  
  
Tiran laughed. "You ok?"  
  
Leo smiled. "That wasn't funny. If you were me, you wouldn't like it if you woke up to see a face full of tiger".  
  
"No", Tiran said, still laughing. "But I wouldn't like it if I woke up to see a face full of turtle either. A teenage mutant ninja one at that, so we're even".  
  
"We'll be even when I do it to you", Leo said, pulling himself off the floor.  
  
"Hopefully we can find Kida by the next time we take shelter", Tiran said, licking his paws thoughtfully for a second. "I keep getting a weird feeling in my stomach . . . like - like someone's hurt".  
  
"Kida?" Leo asked.  
  
"I don't know". Tiran shook his head. "If she's with another person, it could be either her or them. I do know that she's back from New York. Her and Keja do not stay there very long".  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Kida does not like to go back to her past", Tiran said. "She lives in the present".  
  
Leo nodded. "I see".  
  
Tiran jumped over Leo's bed and grabbed something underneath it with his mouth. He pulled out a bag and jumped back over, lifting his head up to look at Leo.  
  
"Here", he said, his voice slightly muffled.  
  
Leo grabbed the bag off him and pulled out a baggy blue jumper, blue jeans and sneakers. He held them up in his hands and frowned.  
  
"It's colder outside now. The dimensional world goes through its 4 seasons every week", Tiran explained. Leo raised an eye-ridge. "It's just works that way", Tiran said and Leo let out an "ahh". "So get dressed, and we will continue our journey".  
  
Leo smiled. "Is there a bathroom I can go in?"  
  
Tiran laughed. "Please. Like anyone would look at you and scream, "help! Teenage mutant naked turtle!" Now if I lost my fur, that would be naked".  
  
Leo narrowed his eyes slightly. "True, not a pretty sight. How do you expect me to get my katannas out when I put this jumper on?"  
  
Tiran smiled.  
  
Leo frowned and turned the jumper around. There were two holes in the back where his katannas could go through. "Riiiiight", he said slowly. "Thanks".  
  
"Welcome".  
  
Leo sighed. "I hope the others are warm".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"What the hell are you doing?!" Raph snapped. He looked at Kida leaning next to a tree, her fingers her close to her face, her cheeks burning as she prepared to click them. "I am NOT going through another teleport!"  
  
"Shut up", she hissed. "I'm trying to send some clothes to Mikey. I know where they are, it's just hard to pinpoint Mikey's location to get them to him".  
  
"How can you get them to him when you don't know where he is?" Raph snapped.  
  
"Don't know", she simply replied. "But I'm willing to try".  
  
Raph sighed and folded his arms, watching her.  
  
Kida closed her eyes, rubbing them with one hand because they still felt sore from crying. She couldn't believe that Raph had seen her cry, and the more she thought about it, the more she realised how stupid it seemed. What happened had happened. She couldn't dwell on her past, and she never wanted to. As the anger started to boil up deep inside, she slapped herself mentally. She couldn't send Mikey some warmth if she was angry, and she wanted to send him something, just to get him back on his feet.  
  
A silver ball of light emerged from the tip of her finger and thumb, and Kida blocked out her angry thoughts and brought in her concerned ones (not that she had many, they were all blocked by anger now, too). She thought about Mikey, sitting alone and cold in the cave he was in, the fire in there dieing slowly, and the silver ball got bigger. A massive blow went around her head, making her headache worse, but she ignored it. The pain in her hand and shoulder surged through her one arm, and her cheeks burnt like hell.  
  
Raph moved his hand out as he was about to say something, but the blast of light coming from Kida's hand stopped him and he had to shield his eyes.  
  
Kida bent down to knee level and put her hands over her head, concentrating as hard as she could to help Mikey. She felt some of her energy seep out of her, but as long as she was doing something good with it, it didn't matter. Finally, when her headache thought it could take no more, the final blow of light grew brighter, before disappearing inside her hands. She saw a picture of her laptop screen in her head, and Mikey, asleep, but in the same clothing as Raph (except his jumper was orange).  
  
She looked up at Raph standing above her and growled. "What?!" she snapped.  
  
"Done?" Raph asked sarcastically.  
  
"No!" she snapped, using the same tone as his.  
  
Raph raised an eye-ridge. "Whatever. Get up".  
  
"Excuse me?!"  
  
"I said 'get up'", Raph repeated, rolling his eyes. "You're going to anyway, so just do it, will ya? Get up".  
  
Kida growled angrily. "Don't give me orders!" she shouted up at his face. "Jesus, what do you think I'm gonna do? Fall back down again?" She shook her head in disagreement and stood up, but fell back down on her knees again. Kida frowned. She stood up again, but the pain cruising through her body took another trip and she fell back down. Raph watched her, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"Can't get up?" he asked.  
  
She looked up at him and sighed. Kida tried again, at the same time thinking, "What the hell is going on?" She stood up, took a few steps forward and collapsed against a tree. She looked at Raph. She raised an eyebrow and he unfolded his arms.  
  
"This isn't good", she half-snapped.  
  
Raph sighed. "I don't believe it".  
  
"Hey!" she yelled. "Don't blame me! I only did this to help your brother, and I have! If he didn't have any clothes right now, he'd be well on his way to death!"  
  
"Like you are?" Raph snapped.  
  
"I -". She shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with me".  
  
Raph shook his head. "Just admit something for once, will ya?!" he yelled. "Look, where do we have to go from here?" He looked around at the mountains he could see, all surrounding them. "Which way?"  
  
Kida sighed and pointed right in front of her.  
  
Raph turned around and looked at the massive blue/grey mountain in front of him. He turned back to Kida. "Up or around?"  
  
"Around", she said. "It doesn't have an 'up'. It's just there to trick people".  
  
"Right", Raph nodded. He walked over to Kida and turned his back on her, bending down below her level and bringing his arms to his sides. "Get on", he said firmly, and she realised he was offering her a piggyback.  
  
"I can walk!" she snapped.  
  
"No you can't!" Raph yelled. "I would leave you here but then I know you'd find some way back to help, so just get on".  
  
She clenched her fist and growled.  
  
Raph pointed with his thumb to his shell. "Get on otherwise I'll drag ya!!"  
  
She smiled sarcastically. "I weigh 15 stone".  
  
"So does Mikey", Raph said back, just as sarcastically. "Just get on!"  
  
"No", she folded her arms stubbornly, leaning against the tree.  
  
Raph sighed. "Get on", he snapped, his voice getting louder.  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Get - on!!" he shouted. "Want me to drag ya?!! 'Cos I can!"  
  
Kida growled again. "I can't believe I have to be carried", she snapped, and reluctantly put arms around his shoulders, grasping her hands together around the front of his neck.  
  
Raph sighed. "I can't believe I have to carry you", he snapped at her, and grabbed her legs, holding his hands under her knees. He stood up, and started walking the direction Kida was pointing him in. "I'm disinfecting my shell when I get home", he muttered.  
  
She punched the side of his face. "Not funny", she snapped.  
  
"Was", Raph just replied.  
  
Kida sighed. "Ok", she said. "I can walk now, put me down".  
  
"Don't think so", Raph growled. "You think I want you on my shell?"  
  
"You think I want to be on your shell?" she snapped, twisting his words. "It isn't exactly the terms of the word piggyBACK. I'd rather be dragged backwards through a bush".  
  
"That can be arrange", Raph hissed under his breath.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Finished! Lol, not the story. Ok, I know that this chapter involved more of Kida and her past, which is why it's labelled "Kida's Past Revealed". I was gonna put a bit with Mikey at the end of this, but then it would have been too long, but he'll be in more on the next chapter (with his happy attitude back, of course ^_~). Thanks for your reviews: Don, Raph, Neosun (I would give you a turtle nickname Neo, [( hey, how 'bout that? Lol] but I don't know your favourite turtle or anything). Thanks all!  
  
Peace! T-u-r-t-l-e power!  
  
tmnt_luver xx) 


	13. A New Group

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"Ok, here we are", Theo smiled.  
  
"It's, er, a forest", Donnie frowned. "Oookay . . ."  
  
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Don't you even remember where Splinter is?"  
  
Donnie nodded, and then slowly smiled. "Ooooh", he said. "But, erm, I can't go ahead without my brothers. I don't even know if they're ok".  
  
"Oh, trust me, they're ok", Theo said. "Which is why we're here to find them. See that mountain". He pointed to the tiniest peek far away. Donnie squinted his eyes and nodded. "Well that, my friend, is where Kida is. If we find Kida, we find your brothers".  
  
"How do you know where she is?" Donnie asked.  
  
"Call it a wild guess", Theo smiled. "But I just do".  
  
Donnie nodded. "I believe you. How long will it take?"  
  
"Well, unfortunately I don't know how to teleport like Kida does", Theo said. "But I can get us there in 7 hours. It looks really far away, but it's just a trick to fool people to turn around and go back. It - er - kinda got me once. When I was looking for mom, but at the time, of course, I didn't know".  
  
"Oh", Donnie said. "Was that before or after you met Kida?"  
  
Theo grinned. "It was after. Even she didn't know her way".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Ok, Miss Perfect. Which way?" Raph gave a small jump, and Kida gasped.  
  
"What?! What?!" She looked down at his shell and her eyes narrowed. "Oh, God, and I was hoping it was a dream. What then?! What?!"  
  
"Hey!" Raph snapped. "Be glad I didn't dump you when you were sleeping!! Know one said you could fall asleep on my shell. So don't let it happen again, or else".  
  
"Are you threatening me?!"  
  
"I'm promising", Raph hissed. "Which way?"  
  
Kida looked around and sighed. "Keep going around", she said. "You've still gotta go another 2 hours around the mountain. This place has loads of tricks to make you believe you've finished your journey".  
  
Raph groaned. "Oh great".  
  
"What?" Kida asked sarcastically. "Can't the wickle turtle handle it?"  
  
Raph growled at her. "Yes", he snapped back. "Cos the wickle turtle is carrying the wickle girl who's the one who can't handle it!"  
  
Kida's eyes narrowed at him. "Whatever. I can walk now anyway".  
  
"Let's see ya then", Raph smiled, and just dropped her.  
  
Kida landed heavily on her butt and growled up at him. She stood up and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him roughly. "You do that again and I'll -!!" She didn't get a chance to finish. She grabbed her stomach in pain and ran behind the nearest bush. Raph didn't need to know what was wrong with her; he could hear her throwing up from where he was standing.  
  
She came out a second later, wiping her mouth. It was strange to Raph that she didn't look pale or anything, just flushed in the face.  
  
Kida sighed and clicked her fingers. A sink appeared next to her and she started running the tap, splashing her face with cold water. Raph raised an eye-ridge. She could get water out here? He watched her clicked her fingers a second time and a toothbrush and toothpaste appeared in her hands. Kida quickly scrubbed her teeth and took a breath-mint, before clicking her fingers and making everything disappear.  
  
Raph folded his arms and stared at her.  
  
She stared back at him.  
  
He raised his eye-ridge again.  
  
"What?" she asked, hands out. "At least I can walk!"  
  
"Or run", Raph pointed out. "You cannot go any further".  
  
"Listen!" she snapped. "You cannot stop me from going any further! I didn't ask for a piggyback, I don't want a piggyback, I'm not getting a piggyback, and so you're not giving me a piggyback!! OK!?!"  
  
Raph shrugged. "Fine".  
  
"Good!" She folded her arms stubbornly.  
  
Raph sighed and walked over to her, grabbing her by the back of her legs and flipping her over his shoulder. Kida screamed, pounding her fists on his shell.  
  
"Hey!! Put me down!!"  
  
"Don't think so", Raph snapped.  
  
"I don't want to be carried!" she yelled.  
  
"No", Raph said. "You said you didn't want a piggyback, and this isn't. I am not going to let you walk if you're hurling all the way. And if you're sick on my shell then I was painfully insert my sais in you, ok?"  
  
Kida growled angrily and tried to hit his shell with her fists, causing painful jolts going through both her arms. "Put me down, NOW!!"  
  
Raph wasn't listening; he carried on walking around the edge of the mountain. He would of let Kida walk, but then she would have just held him up, and he knew he couldn't get rid of her, so he didn't have much of an option. Raph sighed angrily. Why did he have to get stuck with her? She was so annoying. So annoying that he just wanted to - well, the details in Raph's head were sure gruesome.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
After 30 minutes of pounding on his shell, Kida gave up, her hands practically as red as Raph's bandanna. She let out a final growl of frustration, before leaning her elbow on his shell and resting her head in her hand. She left her right arm dangling down, as that was the arm with the cut on her hand and shoulder.  
  
"I am getting a total Shrek moment right now", she said angrily.  
  
"Yeah", Raph said unenthusiastically. "I'll drop ya as soon as we reach a small lake. I'm surprised you get to watch movies here - it only came out about 2 years ago".  
  
"I've got a TV in my room where I stay", she said. "Keja basically gave me an apartment to live in here. Just a bedroom, kitchen, living room, and bathroom. Speaking of bathroom I'm gonna get us in the next tree I see with one in, because you are really starting to stink!"  
  
"Believe me", Raph snapped. "That is NOT coming from me!"  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
When Mikey woke up for the fifth time he was amazed at how warm he felt. A hot breeze went throughout his entire body and he looked down at his sneaker-covered feet and gasped. Sneakers? He was wearing sneakers? Mikey pulled at the black trousers he had on and very baggy orange jumper. He smiled.  
  
"Dimensional world, here I come!" He jumped up and ran out of the cave he had been in for so many hours, feeling useless. Mikey looked around and he could see the peek of some mountains ahead of him. Behind him in the distance was the park he had found.  
  
Mikey made his way towards the mountains, at the same time thinking "thank you, Kida, thanks a lot".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Leonardo", Tiran said, stopping Leo's train of thoughts. "One of your brothers is near. I can feel it. Kida's not far away either".  
  
Leo looked around at the tall mountain above him. After 5 hours of walking the lack of food and water was starting to get to him. He was glad for the warmth that his clothes provided but his stomach could not help but growl for food whenever he and Tiran walked. Leo closed his eyes for a second.  
  
"I can feel it, too", Leo said. "I think its Raph".  
  
"Let us continue around the mountain", Tiran said. They took a few steps forward when Leo's stomach suddenly let out a loud rumble.  
  
Leo smiled. "I guess I'm - er - kinda hungry, heh".  
  
Tiran nodded. "Do not worry. We will find food soon".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry!" Mikey chanted softly to himself as he headed towards the mountains. He could feel his stomach begging for food. He was so hungry he was actually talking to it. "Will you stop grumbling?! I haven't got no food! Oh - I can't think about food. Not even the sweet, delicious, greasy, steamy smell of - argh!"  
  
Mikey bashed his head against a tree and sighed.  
  
"Oh! Food - food - food!" he said every time he hit his head against it.  
  
Mikey suddenly tilted his head up when he heard the faint sounds of - what? Shouts? Muffled yells? It was something, but the weird thing was, it sounded like Raph!  
  
Mikey ignored his stomach for the first time and ran in the direction he had heard his brother's voice.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Oh God Kida!" Raph shouted. "I am not stopping each time you do this!"  
  
Kida cleaned her teeth for the fourth time that day and ate, yet again, another breath mint. Maybe it was the mints that were actually making her sick. She'd already - very embarrassingly - thrown up all over Raph's shell. They had to stop in the tree Kida spotted with a bathroom and clean him up. She had given him a clean jumper and taken a shower herself. Replacing her clothes with new ones. Now she was wearing black jeans and a dark green t-shirt. Her aqua one was too bright for even her own eyes. For some reason bright colours were making her feel ill.  
  
Her hair was dry with the click of her fingers and she plaited it loosely. At least now she smelt of soap and shampoo instead of sick. She was feeling a little better after the shower. She still looked hot, but not as ill as she did before. The only problem now was that she couldn't be carried, otherwise she would be sick, so now she had to lean on Raph for support, and that just angered her more.  
  
As they climbed out of the tree, Kida sighed, one arm wrapped around Raph's shoulders, the other dangling at her side. Raph sighed also.  
  
"I have a feeling this is going to be a loooong night", Kida said quietly, looking up at the sky as it started to turn a darker shade of blue.  
  
"RAPH!!" someone suddenly shouted.  
  
Kida tilted her head back down and looked straight ahead of her. Her mouth opened wide as she stared at Leo and Tiran. Raph's mouth also shot open when he saw Tiran, but he closed it when he heard Leo say, "it's ok - he's a friend". Kida sighed with relief that it wasn't anyone bad, and her head tilted back down to the ground. She felt a force against her when Leo ran over to hug Raph, wearing a jumper and pants just like his. She heard Leo gasp when he saw her, and she looked into Tiran's shocked face also.  
  
"Kida! What happened?!" Leo asked. "Are you ok?!"  
  
She let go of Raph and took a few shaky steps forward, kneeling down next to Tiran. "Don't fuss, Leo", she said firmly, but with a gentle tone. "I'm fine. Just not 100% fine, that's all". She smiled at Tiran. "Hey Tiran".  
  
Tiran green eyes studied Kida's face and she frowned.  
  
Leo pulled away from his brother and he and Raph watched as Tiran slowly circled Kida, taking in her bandaged-up shoulder, her hand, and he was rubbing the side of his face against her back, and Kida winced.  
  
Leo frowned. Why did she have bandages on her shoulder and her hand?  
  
Tiran curled himself around Kida and brought his face up close to hers. Kida leaned back slightly on her knees, bringing her hands back to support herself.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
Tiran's eyes narrowed. "How did you cut your shoulder?" he asked.  
  
Kida sighed. She never lied to him. "I got attacked when I went to New York for that day I asked you to look after Leo. I'm ok though, Keja stitched it up and it's fine".  
  
"And your hand?" he asked, his eyes glinting.  
  
"Cut it on glass and Raph wrapped it up", she said simply.  
  
Leo turned to Raph with a look that said, "you did?" Raph just shrugged and turned back to look at Kida and Tiran. He raised an eye-ridge at Leo when his eyes settled back on the tiger and Leo just gave Raph a look that said, "what?"  
  
"Kida", Tiran said slowly.  
  
Raph leaned in to Leo. "You picked up a Mufussa", he whispered, smiling slightly. "You've got Mikey's favourite lion from The Lion King".  
  
Leo smiled and nudged his brother. "Sssh", he said.  
  
"How come you've got bruises on your back?" Tiran asked.  
  
Kida frowned, along with Raph and Leo. "You don't know that I've got bruises on my back", she said.  
  
Tiran smiled slightly. "I do now", he said. "And I can feel it when you wince".  
  
Kida nodded and sighed. "I bashed my back into the train walls when I was on one with Mikey. I hit it 2 times going so I guess that's why. Anymore questions?"  
  
Tiran shook his head. "You are too willing to get hurt for others", he said.  
  
Kida smiled slightly and stood up. "I know", she said softly.  
  
"LEO!! RAPH!!"  
  
Kida shot around along with the others, and she got a face full of Mikey as he wrapped his arms around her. She was so shocked by his sudden outburst that she nearly lost balance. Kida frowned.  
  
"Er, Mikey", Kida said. "Bruised back. Cut hand and shoulder. And I'm not Leo or Raph, so shouldn't you be cuddling them?"  
  
Mikey broke away from her, not being able to wipe the grin off his face. "Sorry if I hurt you", he said. "But I wanted to thank you!"  
  
Kida nodded. "Understandable", she said simply.  
  
Mikey turned to his brothers and grabbed Raph, pulling him into a hug. Leo joined the group hug and even Raph seemed happy that 3 of them were together again. They all pulled away from each other, their hands on the others shoulders, and looked at each other's clothing.  
  
"Look what you're wearing!" they all said together.  
  
Raph laughed slightly and gave Mikey a good, brotherly punch on his shoulder. "Hey Mikey! Great to have ya back! Where ya been, goofball?"  
  
Mikey grinned. "Only freezing my butt off!" he said. "But I see you two found people to keep you company". He pointed to Kida and Tiran, and looked at them for explanation. "Who brought Mufussa?"  
  
"This is Tiran, Mike", Leo introduced. "He found me, actually".  
  
"Same with Kida", Raph said. "We've only just met up with Leo and Tiran".  
  
"Aww, is it just me and Donnie that haven't made friends?" Mikey whined.  
  
"Sorry Mikey", a voice said. "But I've made one, too!"  
  
Mikey spun around. "DONNIE!" He ran over to his brother in purple, and grasped him in a tight hug. Behind him stood a tall boy, with scruffy brown hair, green eyes and a green bandanna. Raph and Leo looked at him in question, but Mikey didn't seem to notice him because he was suffocating his brother. Kida noticed him, and was staring at him in shock.  
  
Mikey let go of his brother and looked into his face. "Hey! You haven't changed a bit!" he laughed, glad his family was back together. "Where ya been?!"  
  
Donnie smiled. "Around", he said sweetly. He put a hand on Mikey's shoulder and turned to face his brothers. "Raph, Leo, Mike - this is Theo. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have even made it here".  
  
Leo smiled and walked over to hug Donnie. "Thanks", he said to Theo.  
  
Raph walked over and nodded his thanks, giving his brother a small hug.  
  
Mikey smiled. "Theo? Cool name!"  
  
Theo smiled back. "Thanks", he said. "Mikey".  
  
Tiran walked over to all of them at that moment, and bowed his head at Donnie. "Pleased to meet you, Donnie", he said. "I am Tiran".  
  
Donnie smiled at him and nodded. "Pleased to meet you, too. Do you know Theo?"  
  
Tiran looked at Theo for a second. "I believe I know you through Kida, am I right?"  
  
Theo nodded. "You're right. Hey Kida", he added, when Kida had finally struggled her way over to them. "Hey, what happened to you?"  
  
"Long time no see, Theo", Kida smiled. "I hurt my shoulder in New York. Cut my hand on glass and bruised my back. So I guess you could say that that's what happened to me. Tragic, isn't it?"  
  
Theo frowned. "Don't put on the sarcastic attitude, Kida", he said firmly, and all eyes went to him. "You never could admit it when you was ill".  
  
"Who said I was ill?!" Kida yelled, and everyone turned to her. Leo, Donnie, Mikey and Tiran were shocked to see her shout, but it seemed that Raph and Theo had already experienced it before.  
  
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Flushed cheeks", he said casually. "Unable to walk. Snapping at people. I think I've known you long enough to know when you're ill, don't you? We have to get you back to Keja".  
  
"No way!!" Kida said. "Not when I can lead these guys to their Master!"  
  
All eyes were definitely on Kida now.  
  
"You - you know where he is?" Leo asked.  
  
"I thought you said you didn't", Raph pointed out.  
  
"Can you take us to him?" Mikey asked sweetly. "Please?"  
  
Donnie nodded. "It would help".  
  
Kida looked at all of their hurt faces and sighed. She nodded.  
  
Tiran stood next to her firmly. "Then I'm coming with you", he said.  
  
Theo didn't say anything, just folded his arms and looked at Kida. She looked back, her eyes pleading him not to go running to Keja to come and fetch her. She knew Theo was more mature than her. Being a year older, he did look out for her, but now she didn't want him to.  
  
Theo sighed. "Fine, I'm in".  
  
Kida smiled. "Good".  
  
"I hope Little Miss Perfect can make the 2 days", Raph said sarcastically.  
  
Kida growled and turned to Raph. "If Little Sarcastic Raph calls Little Miss Perfect 'Little Miss Perfect' one more time, Little Miss Perfect is gonna give Little Sarcastic Raph a right good, painful, kick up his -"  
  
"Let's", Theo said slowly, "get some shelter".  
  
Kida nodded and sighed. "Yeah. The earlier we start tomorrow the better. At least you're all together now. Ok, Little Sarcastic Raph, that tree behind you".  
  
Raph turned around, stared at the tree, and shrugged. "Yeah, so?"  
  
"Go in", Kida snapped. "It has a massive shelter space".  
  
Raph shrugged again. "Fine", he said. Mikey turned around with his brother and Raph walked ahead first. Raph didn't bother to put his arm through first, but when his head connected with the tree, it let out a loud 'crack!' as it hit solid wood. Mikey snorted with laughter and Raph growled, turning around to face Kida.  
  
Kida frowned. "Hmmm", she said sarcastically. "Maybe it was the one next to you".  
  
Mikey laughed. "Man, she is my soul mate!" he grinned, before disappearing into the tree next to Raph. Donnie laughed and followed him, and then Leo walked in, then Tiran. Raph walked over to Kida and pointed his finger in her face.  
  
"You better watch yourself", he snapped.  
  
"Oooh, I'm so scared!" she snapped back.  
  
Raph growled and turned back around. He was about to walk into the tree Mikey had gone into, when Kida clicked her fingers and a door appeared before it. Raph bashed into that, hitting his head again. He growled at Kida and she clicked her fingers. The door disappeared and Raph walked in, muttering under his breath.  
  
Kida smiled and turned to Theo. He raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"What?!" she asked, raising her hands.  
  
"You really don't like him, do you?" he asked.  
  
Kida shrugged. "I don't like you either but that don't make any difference".  
  
Theo shook his head, his bandanna tails flying. "Always sarcastic", he said.  
  
Kida grinned and walked over to him, pointing her finger in his chest. "Wrong", she said. "Raph's the sarcastic one. I'm Little Miss Perfect, remember?"  
  
Theo sighed. "Little Miss Afraid is more like it".  
  
"Me?" Kida said. "Afraid of what?"  
  
Theo pointed towards the tree Raph went in. "Them".  
  
"Them?" Kida asked, looking at the tree. "No. I'm not afraid of nothing". With that, she turned away from him and walked inside the tree, leaving Theo alone.  
  
Theo ran a hand through his hair. "Yes", he said quietly. "You are".  
  
()()()()()()()() 


	14. A New Power

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"I can't sleep", Mikey whispered.  
  
Theo sighed and turned on the small lamp next to his bed. It lit up the big room inside the tree, with beds going along around the room walls and a big rug in the middle. Mikey was next to Theo, the sheets tangled at the end of him where he kept rolling over. Next to Mikey was Leo, and then Raph was in the bed next to him, then Donnie, then Tiran, and lastly Kida, who was near the entrance.  
  
All of them were awake, except Kida.  
  
They all looked at her, rolling her head in her sleep and breathing loudly.  
  
Raph shook his head. "I can always hit her", he whispered.  
  
"NO!" all of them hissed at him. Her head had stopped rolling now anyway.  
  
"You know, I'm surprised that she can sleep", Leo said quietly. "I wouldn't be able to catch up with my breathing pattern by the way she's breathing so hard. Think we should wake her?"  
  
Theo shook his head. "No", he said. "I bet she hasn't had any sleep".  
  
Mikey sighed. "Aww, I'm hungry!"  
  
"Sorry Mikey", Theo whispered. "But I don't know how to make food just appear with a click of my fingers. You'll have to wait".  
  
"Should have told me", a voice spoke up. "I would have gotten you some food".  
  
Raph turned his head with a growl. "Should have told us you were awake", he hissed at Kida. "Then we wouldn't be whispering just for you".  
  
Kida sat up in her bed and growled back at him, her eyes blazing brightly. "I was asleep. Just that your horrible voice somehow gets in my head and wakes me up".  
  
"Well it's not as if we can sleep with you rolling your head", Raph snapped.  
  
Kida didn't say anything, just looked at him in anger. She pushed the sheet away from her and jumped out of bed, still wearing her jeans and green t- shirt, but now slightly more creased. She slipped her sneakers on and fastened up the laces, before standing up straight to look at them.  
  
"Sorry guys", she said to all of them. "I forgot about your hunger. Here". She clicked her fingers and a table appeared on the rug in the middle of the room, with a long bench going around it. On top there were all kinds of food. Pizzas, which Mikey was looking at in shock, apples, pies, fries, vegetables, deserts, sweets, pasta, rice - anything that looked delicious was placed on the table.  
  
Kida smiled. "If you can't sleep you might as well eat", she said.  
  
"Thanks Kida!" Mikey grinned and jumped over to the bench.  
  
"Wow, that's so cool!" Donnie smiled. He knew that whatever Kida could think of would have appeared on the table, but it was amazing with just the click of her fingers. His grin reflected Mikey's and he went to sit with his brother.  
  
The others joined, and Kida nodded as if thinking, "that's that taken care of". She turned around and headed towards the exit.  
  
"Wait", Mikey said, and everyone looked at her. "Aren't you going to eat with us?"  
  
Kida shook her head. "No, Mikey, I'm not hungry". She clicked her fingers and a basketball appeared in her hands. "I'm gonna shoot some hoops outside".  
  
"But it'll be dark", Donnie pointed out. "And there isn't a light or a basketball hoop outside, is there?"  
  
Kida clicked her fingers again.  
  
Everyone turned around to see if anything had changed, but when nothing could be found they all turned back to her. She smiled, as if evilly thinking something.  
  
"There is now", she said, and went outside.  
  
Mikey laughed, but Donnie was still frowning.  
  
"I thought she said she could only get stuff she knew was somewhere", he spoke up and everyone looked at him in confusion. "I mean, she told us that she could only get things she knew were there. Like cans from a fridge, or food from a freezer, so how can all this food be cooked and a basketball and net be outside?"  
  
Tiran, sitting next to Donnie, looked up at him. "Even Kida won't know the answer to that. You see, she won't discover it yet, but her powers are improving more and more each day".  
  
Donnie nodded. "Oh, right, so this food is definitely real then?"  
  
Tiran smiled and nodded. "It's real. But even Kida will be thinking about how it is already cooked. I think she knew how hungry you were, and didn't want to get food that had to be made, so she somehow did it herself. It is one of her many talents that she does not know she has".  
  
Donnie smiled and took a bite out of his pizza. "Must be cool, to how powers like that. I wish I could do something like that to get my computer here".  
  
Tiran nodded again. "It is a rare gift, one that Kida learned when she got here", he said. Everyone turned to listen to him. "Kida was just a normal girl when she arrived here - everyone was. But those who are forced to stay learn magic; some learned evil magic, but most learned good. Kida refused to learn magic, because she didn't want to become lazy, or like anyone here. She wanted to be normal. But whenever in danger she would do magic that her brain refused against, so it would tare her apart. Sometimes it backfired. So Keja had to take separate time with Kida. Told her she had to accept that she was unique, that she had power. It took a while, but eventually Kida controlled her magic and accepted it, but she does not like to use it".  
  
"She looked happy to me when she got that ball", Raph said.  
  
Leo stared at him. "There's nothing against it, Raph".  
  
"No", Tiran said. "There isn't. Kida will use her magic for her own entertainment, but she will not do it often. It is only when she wants to take her mind off something, so she'll play sport. It is her way of blocking out her thoughts".  
  
"What kind of thoughts?" Mikey asked.  
  
"Always the nosey one", Donnie smiled slightly.  
  
"Am not!" Mikey snapped. "I'm just wondering".  
  
"These thoughts are not your ordinary distractions", Tiran said.  
  
Theo nodded in agreement. "Kida doesn't have ordinary thoughts".  
  
"It is true", Tiran said, turning to the others. "Kida's thoughts and emotions are always mixed up, confused. That is why she gets angry so easily, because they frustrate her and the more her anger blocks them out, the more confused she gets. She is not like an ordinary girl, she has lived a hard life, and still does".  
  
"Do you think she should be out there then?" Leo asked. "Especially since she's ill, injured, and alone?"  
  
Theo turned to Leo. "As much as I want to go out there", he said with a small smile, "and drag her back in, I cannot. I've learned from our arguments that Kida prefers to be alone, and nothing we say can bring her back in against her will".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Why do they keep talking about me?! Kida thought furiously as she threw the ball against the hoop that hung on the tree above her. She frowned. It's not like I'm weird or anything, she whispered in her head, but it doesn't mean I want Tiran to talk about my powers. I don't even like magic . . . and yet I feel it getting stronger. With my anger too, she added in her mind, because those idiots in there won't stop talking about me! I can hear them!  
  
In a sudden rage, Kida stomped back inside the tree with the basketball clutched tightly in her hands. She got inside just as the guys were finishing their breakfast. Outside was now light, the sky painted with oranges and reds, and she knew they should get moving.  
  
"Nice conversation?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
Theo suddenly looked at her in shock. "Kida . . . can you hear our voices outside the tree?" he asked.  
  
"No!" she snapped. "But I - I knew what you were saying! Look, I have powers, all right? I know I can't explain them, but if you want to know about them you can just ask me! God's sake it's not as though I like people talking behind my back!!" she added in a yell.  
  
The lamp near Theo's bed suddenly flew from its table. Everyone ducked as it flew over their heads and smashed against the wall.  
  
"Is everyone all right?" Tiran asked.  
  
"Fine", Leo spoke from the darkness that now engulfed them.  
  
"We better go outside", Donnie said.  
  
Everyone made their way towards the door and jumped outside. The sun was just shining through the tree trucks, casting long shadows in front of them. Kida shivered, even though her temperature was higher than ever. The guys still had their clothes on, and so did Donnie now that he had been given his own jumper and pants. Theo had a dark green jacket on now, and Tiran had his fur.  
  
Raph turned to Kida. "What did you do?!"  
  
Kida knelt down on the earth and rested her hands on her knees, leaning forward and looking at the rustled leaves on the ground in shock.  
  
"I - I didn't do anything", she said. "It wasn't my fault".  
  
Everyone was silent as they looked at her, then Mikey spoke up.  
  
"It doesn't matter, Kida", he said softly. "No one was hurt. We're fine. It was just a freaky accident that's all. It wasn't your fault".  
  
Kida didn't say anything. She just breathed quietly for a few minutes, trying to calm herself down. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She had never done anything like that in her life! She stood up slowly and looked at Mikey.  
  
"Maybe you're right", she said, but she knew she was lying. "Let's get going".  
  
"It takes a day to get across the mountains," Tiran said. "We have to stay together if we want to survive this journey, ok? We can't afford to be spilt up. It took 2 days of your journey to get back together. If that weren't for Kida you probably never would have. We can do this, but we have to be careful".  
  
Kida nodded. "He's right. Don't wander. Except Raph", she added, her heart still thudding but wanting to distract herself, "you can wander as much as you want".  
  
"You're so funny I'm dead with laughter", Raph said, folding his arms.  
  
Kida smiled. "You wish", she snapped. She started to head off towards the trees, and everyone slowly followed. Mikey and Donnie walked together, both talking about what they had been through. Mikey was definitely impressed with Donnie's Shrek story. Leo and Raph walked behind them, their own little conversation going on. Kida and Tiran walked in front, side by side, and Theo just tagged along the edge. He seemed to be thinking about something, and in a few seconds he was by Kida's side.  
  
"Why do you have to be so sarcastic to him?" he whispered, referring to Raph. "We're not going to get very far if you 2 are at each other's throats".  
  
Tiran tilted his head up to listen.  
  
Kida looked at him angrily. "I can speak to him however I want! You wouldn't believe how sarcastic he was to me when we were alone! It was like I was in a conversation with death! What's it to you?!"  
  
Theo looked hurt with her last words. "There used to be a time when you wanted my friendship", he said softly. "Now it seems you're trying to push me away. I'm concerned because you know as well as I do that you threw that lamp. It's your anger, Kida, it's worse than Raph's, and I've heard from Leo that he can get quite angry sometimes. You've got to control it".  
  
Kida stopped looking angrily at him and frowned. She actually looked scared. "I can't", she whispered quietly.  
  
Tiran decided to speak up. "You can", he said. "Once you've controlled your magic. You know how your magic works, Kida, you can control it".  
  
Kida shook her head and quickened her pace, walking a few metres ahead of everyone. Her headache was thumping away at her temples, and her arm had reached an unbearable pain, and this distracted her thoughts. She looked at her arm and sighed. The things she got herself into sometimes - they were ridiculous.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"You've just been in a cave for nearly a whole day?" Donnie raised an eyebrow, and then laughed. "Mikey! The things you get yourself into sometimes!"  
  
"At least I didn't meet Donkey from Shrek!" Mikey said.  
  
Donnie smiled. "Aye . . . yet it was an honour!"  
  
Mikey laughed. "Bet it was. Now we've just gotta meet the big green dude himself! Oh, and the big bad dragon!" Mikey lifted his hands up, pretending to have claws.  
  
"The only big green dude here is you, bro", Donnie said. "And I don't feel up to meeting a big dragon here. What about Princess Fiona?"  
  
"Nah", Mikey shook his head with a grin. He pointed at Kida, walking ahead of Tiran and Theo, who were having their own whispered conversation. "We've got our own princess right here. Not that she'll be a damsel in distress or anything".  
  
Donnie grinned and nodded. "True".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
The trees were doubling as Kida walked. In fact, so were the mountains. Kida shook her head, trying to get rid of her fuzzy vision. She turned around and was shocked to see that Theo was gradually stretching himself into a twin. Her eyes narrowed, and Theo went back to normal.  
  
Ok, she thought, I really have to get some glasses.  
  
She turned back around, and got a face full of a tree.  
  
The laughter behind her could most be recognisable as Raph's. Everyone was laughing in a, "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you" kind of way - but Raph's was definitely a, "I'm sooo laughing AT you" laugh.  
  
"That wasn't funny!" she yelled.  
  
"Was!" Raph said.  
  
Kida growled. "You know", she snapped, "sometimes I wish I could just click my fingers" - she clicked her fingers lazily in demonstration - "and a massive, horrible, maybe 10foot bear came up behind you! Shooting bullets out of its mouth!!"  
  
Raph rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right!"  
  
They all carried on walking in silence.  
  
Suddenly Tiran stopped, and sniffed the air.  
  
"Hey", Kida said softly. "What's wrong?"  
  
Just as he was about to say something, a loud roar echoed throughout the trees, stopping them in their tracks. Mikey gave a squeaky scream and clung onto Donnie's arm, shaking slightly.  
  
"Please tell me that was your stomach . . .?" Mikey stuttered to his brother.  
  
Donnie looked at his brother with wide eyes and shook his head.  
  
Leo and Raph quickly pulled out their weapons, holding them tightly. Leo turned to Raph in shock, with a look that said, "you don't think that . . .?"  
  
Raph gave a very slow nod, and snapped his head around as the trees around them started to move, the leaves rustling noisily. Mikey pulled out his Nunchucks and Donnie grabbed his Bo, leaving Kida and Theo to look at each other in confused shock. Something brown whizzed past them, and Kida ran over to Theo.  
  
"You don't think that I . . .?" she hissed.  
  
Theo nodded, and gulped, his Adam's apple moving in his throat. "I think you did, Kida", he said, trying to keep the shake out of his voice. "I really think you did".  
  
Mikey let out another yell as a face suddenly loomed on them. Everyone looked into the beady, black eyes of a massive bear, and all their heads looked up slowly, taking in its enormous height.  
  
Theo grabbed Kida's arm, and she winced when his hand touched her lower back.  
  
"Get rid of it!" he hissed. "You have to get rid of it!"  
  
The bear let out another roar.  
  
Kida pulled herself from Theo's grasp, and her aqua eyes looked at him in complete confusion, shock, and fear. "I can't! I don't know how . . ." she trailed off, just as the bear went for Mikey . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Sorry for the quite-rushed ending. And sorry it's a LITTLE late, lol, I've been away for 4 days so I didn't get a chance to finish the chapter and post it before I left. Anyway, thanks for the reviews - you've been great! Mike, Raph, Don, Leo (Leo's you now, Neosun, lol, he was the only one left!) Great ending on Undiscovered Power, too, Raph - I just thought I'd write it on here instead of a review! lol, I know, I'm lazy. Well, thanks again!) 


	15. A Death To One Is A Death To All

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"Move Mikey!!" Raph yelled, and ran into his brother, giving him a hard shove.  
  
"RAPH!" Kida screamed.  
  
Raph looked up and rolled in between the bear's legs, just as it swiped down at him with enormous claws. Raph looked at the bear's back, thoughts whizzing through his head. I can kill it now, he thought as the bear landed on all fours, I can kill it now! But something was holding him back - the thought of killing an animal wasn't the solution to him, and even his brothers knew that, otherwise they would encourage him. He turned to look at Kida.  
  
"Get rid of it!!" he hissed, just like Theo had. "Get rid of it!"  
  
Kida knew that clicking her fingers wouldn't work. They wouldn't work anyway. She was frozen to the spot - she needed something. She needed something to trap it.  
  
"Think of anything, Kida!" Donnie yelled, blocking the bear with his Bo. "Think of anything! A trap! Anything!" Tiran rushed over to help Donnie, threatening the bear with his own claws.  
  
Kida shakily clicked her fingers, at the time thinking of a massive hole in the ground, but nothing worked. The bear took up most of her power - so she couldn't conjure up anything big - it had to be little . . . Little - but effective.  
  
"Get out of the way!!" Leo shouted, running into the side of Kida as the bear fell into the tree behind her. She landed with a thud on her injured shoulder, and let out a gasp as blood started to soak through her t-shirt. Theo was opposite her, holding a Bo in his hands, though how he got it she didn't know.  
  
"Kida! Move!"  
  
Mikey's shell and bandanna loomed over her, and his hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her to her feet. He grabbed her shoulders, slightly harder than he intended. She gasped again, and Mikey saw her blood on his hand.  
  
"Are you ok? Are you ok?" he asked quickly, pulling her aside.  
  
"Give me your Nunchucks!" Kida said sharply, and Mikey gave them to her.  
  
She tied one nunchuck to the other, and pulled at each end to make sure they were tightly secure. She looked up frantically, and saw the bear heading towards Theo. Donnie was in front, trying to protect his new friend, and Raph and Leo were at the side, forming a protective triangle.  
  
Kida spun Mikey's Nunchucks over her head, ignoring the bleeding in her shoulder, and let them go. They flew together in the air, and wrapped themselves around the bear's feet. It let out a roar, and fell forwards, just landing a metre in front of Leo, Donnie and Raph.  
  
"YES!" Mikey shouted.  
  
Something let out a loud 'snap!' and Mikey looked up.  
  
The bear was slowly getting to its feet; Mikey's nunchucks were snapped on the floor. Mikey let out a quiet, "it can't be . . ." in one breath and Kida looked up also. Raph and his brothers were slowly edging backwards, all their shells touching each other's. Theo stood beside them, looking up in fear - his green eyes wide. At the moment Tiran was nowhere to be seen, and Kida didn't have time to look for him.  
  
A gun! She thought suddenly. I need a tranquilliser gun!  
  
It was a small thing, easy to conjure up, and wouldn't even harm the bear. She didn't know where one was, but then again she didn't even know she could create a bear. Even with bul - Kida stopped suddenly.  
  
She heard a circle of 'bang!' and saw the 3 turtles dodging bullets.  
  
"WHOA!" Raph yelled. "They actually came out of its mouth!"  
  
"Everyone spilt!" Leo yelled, and they all went in opposite directions, trying to confuse the bear. Mikey ran from Kida's side to help, and she quickly scanned the trees for Tiran. She just glimpsed his fur, running in between Raph and Theo.  
  
Kida clicked her fingers, quickly thinking, 'GUN!' at the same time.  
  
Something smooth touched her arm, and she looked down to see a farmer's gun resting in her hand. No! She thought in fear. I can't use a real gun on this thing! It's not right! It isn't right! But she didn't have time to click up another one, so with shaking hands she lifted the gun up. It let out a loud 'click!' as she prepared to fire.  
  
The bear suddenly stopped, and looked up.  
  
Kida felt her heart stop in her chest as it looked at her, and then looked at the gun in her hand, pointing right at it. The roar it let out was unbelievably loud, and it came charging at Kida. A small bullet escaped from its mouth, and grazed the side of Kida's waist.  
  
"NO!" Mikey yelled, as Kida screamed and dropped to her knees.  
  
KILL IT! A voice in Kida's head hissed. You created the monster!  
  
Kida leaned on the gun to pull herself back up. She was now bleeding in more places than one; her green t-shirt was now stained red.  
  
Kida looked up, her eyes blazing.  
  
Another bullet came out of the bear's mouth, and headed for Kida's chest.  
  
Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Mikey's shouts echoed in her ears, and everyone was slowly running towards her, their frightened voices catching. Kida's eyes closed and opened, and she looked down at her chest. She expected to see bright, while light, or at least a pool of blood gushing out of her. But the next thing she knew Tiran's black and white fur jumped out in front of her, and he roared as the bullet hit him. He fell to the ground, right at Kida's feet.  
  
Everything stopped, everything except the bear.  
  
Mikey felt the tears prick his eyes, and he blinked them back. Leo stopped running, and let out a quiet, 'no . . .' as his new friend lay on the ground. Donnie and Raph looked at each other, their expression unreadable. Theo broke the silence, as he shouted, "NO!" at Tiran.  
  
Kida looked down, her vision blurred by tears. "No . . . No . . ." she whispered.  
  
The gun still laid in her hand, and a surged of anger rushed through her heart. She lifted it up, and aimed it at the bear still charging towards her. "You killed him!!" she screamed. "You killed him!!" Without another word, she pulled the trigger.  
  
The bear stopped, and slumped forward. It looked at Kida, and she looked back into its eyes. It let out a saddened, quiet roar, as if it was trying to tell her that it had done nothing wrong, and she was a murderer.  
  
Kida dropped the gun, and looked away as the bear fell to the floor.  
  
"I killed him . . ." she choked. "I killed him . . . I killed them both . . ."  
  
She looked at her shoulder, and then her waist. The pain was numbed, as reality hit her and she realised it was her fault. The bear didn't kill Tiran . . . she did . . . and she killed a live animal - no - two live animals . . . it was all her fault . . .  
  
"Kida", Leo said softly, coming up next to her.  
  
"Tiran, I'm so sorry!!" she suddenly yelled, falling next to him and grabbing his fur. She buried her face in the softness of his neck. "I'm so, so sorry . . . Tiran please . . ."  
  
Mikey felt a tear fall down each of his cheeks as he listened to Kida's sobs. He knew she was asking for Tiran's forgiveness, but now that he was gone he couldn't answer her, he couldn't tell her - and Mikey knew that more guilt was on Kida's shoulders. This wasn't how he had expected to find Splinter; he didn't know that they'd lose a friend . . .  
  
Donnie put a hand on Mikey's shoulder, and wiped his brother's cheeks.  
  
Theo walked over to Kida, and rested a hand on her arm.  
  
"We have to go", he said softly, as the clouds clapped together above them. The rain pelted down on them all, followed by a clap of thunder.  
  
Kida ignored him. She let her tears fall down Tiran's fur.  
  
"Tiran . . . I didn't mean . . . I - I didn't - I'm sorry . . ."  
  
Raph felt the rain soak his bandanna, and he looked at Leo.  
  
Leo looked back, his eye ridges tilted up in sadness. Raph could see his brother's eyes glistening with tears, taking in the fact that his new friend was dead. Raph looked away, taking in the dead body of the bear, rather than watching his brothers' cry. So many thoughts went through his head, most of them feeling saddened for Kida.  
  
"Kida, please", Theo said, guilt piercing him like a knife. He wished so much that he could let Kida have time alone with Tiran, but they had to leave. "We -" he gulped, his voice cracking with tears, "we have to carry on . . . we can't stay here . . . please Kida . . . please . . ."  
  
If it wasn't for the pleading in Theo's voice, Kida would have stayed, but something told her he was right. She slowly let go of Tiran's fur.  
  
Theo seized that chance to grabbed Kida's arm, pulling her to her feet.  
  
Mikey let out a sniff and went over to help. He grabbed Kida's other arm, and put it around his shoulders, helping her walk away from Tiran's body.  
  
As they slowly started to walk away, Leo looked down at Tiran's face. He kneeled down and stroked Tiran's fur, thinking about how his friend had help him in the past day. If it weren't for him, Leo would have never found his brothers. A tear escaped Leo's eyes and dropped on Tiran, mixing in with the rain dripping down him.  
  
Raph watched Donnie, Mikey, Theo and Kida slowly walk away, and he walked over to Leo, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.  
  
"C'mon Leo", Raph said firmly, but softly. "Leo . . ."  
  
Leo wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and stood up. He turned to Raph.  
  
Raph nodded. "Let's go . . . we have to go . . ."  
  
Leo took one last glance at Tiran, and walked away from him. Raph put his hand around Leo's shoulders, bringing him in a short hug before following the others.  
  
Behind them another roar of thunder hit the sky. A lightning bolt came down moments later, separating like tree branches and hitting the two dead bodies on the ground. The flash lasted 2 seconds, and when it was gone, so were they, the only thing left on the ground were Mikey's broken Nunchucks, and the animals' blood . . .  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"He wasn't meant to die", Kida whispered, as Donnie cleaned her wounds.  
  
Donnie looked up at her and sighed. He grabbed a bandage and remained on his knees, gently pressing a cotton wool ball to Kida's side. Theo had managed to find them a tree to rest in for an hour, since they only had one day and a half to find Splinter. Kida was led to an empty bedroom at the back, followed by Donnie. This was the first time she had spoken since being drawn away from Tiran's body.  
  
His death had caused many emotions, from all of them.  
  
Kida looked down at her waist and at Donnie's hand. She couldn't feel the pain coming from her wounds - she couldn't even feel Donnie touching her skin beneath her t-shirt. She could only feel her guilt and loss.  
  
Donnie grabbed Kida's hand and gave it a squeeze.  
  
"It'll be all right", he said softly.  
  
"No . . ." Kida replied quietly, the pain in her voice as clear as day. "It won't . . ."  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"If we had known that someone was going to get hurt we would have never asked for Kida's help", Leo said to Theo, while Kida and Donnie were in the other room.  
  
Raph was sat in a chair opposite them, quietly watching, and Mikey was asleep on the mattress that rested in the corner of the room. Leo was talking to Theo, trying to figure out what to do now. Leo was saying that they should go alone from here, but Theo refused, saying that they needed Kida to lead the way. If they had more days, they could find Splinter alone, but their time was limited, and Theo insisted helping them to the end.  
  
"Kida won't leave you either", Theo said. "She wants to help".  
  
"All I'm saying is that no one should get hurt anymore", Leo said. "It's because of us that Kida has got injured, in more ways than one. I don't want her to feel more guilty than she already does".  
  
"Guilt has nothing to do with it", Theo said gently. "We go through this thing together, and Kida will say the same thing. Her guilt isn't because of you. No one is to blame - no one. We won't leave one another - if we got in this thing together, than we'll get out together. Tiran wouldn't have wanted it any other way".  
  
Leo felt a lump rise to his throat at the thought of Tiran, but he just nodded.  
  
"So when do we start again?" Raph asked.  
  
Theo turned to him. "We leave in half an hour. Let your brother sleep", Theo nodded to Mikey, "and then we'll leave. Kida should be ok to walk - but we have to be careful from now on. If we run into anymore trouble, then more problems will occur".  
  
Raph nodded and looked at Mikey.  
  
"We won't run into anymore problems", Leo said firmly. "We've already lost one friend. We won't lose another".  
  
Theo nodded. "Tiran will be watching over us - that's all we need to help us on our way. Once we find your Master, you can go home, and no more troubles will come to you".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
When Kida and Donnie emerged from the back room, everyone was quiet. Mikey had woken up and was sitting next to Raph, having his own conversation until they came in. Theo and Leo were still stood in the middle of the room, but they both stopped talking and looked at Kida when she walked in. She had put a clean, dark green t-shirt on and had put another pair of black jeans on. Her shoulder was wrapped up, and everyone could see the bandage just coming out of the sleeve of her t-shirt, and there was a fresh bandage on her hand. Her eyes were red, where she had been crying.  
  
"Hey Kida", Mikey said softly. "You ok?"  
  
She looked at him and nodded.  
  
"Maybe", Leo said quietly, "maybe you should stay here".  
  
"What?" she whispered, looking up at Leo, "You can't expect me to stay here, surely? I got you into this mess and I'll get you out. I'm sorry I created the bear, all right? I'm sorry . . . I know I'm to blame . . ."  
  
"I'm not blaming you Kida", Leo said. "Not at all. I just think it would be safer if you stay here. It might be -"  
  
"It won't be better!" she yelled. "I'll feel so useless! End of discussion, Leo! I'm coming and that's that. It's not as though I'll murder all of you lot!"  
  
Theo stepped forward. "Leo never said you'll do anything to hurt us", he said. "He's worried that something might hurt you - like that bear did. Your not a murderer, Kida, you did what all of us would have done".  
  
"I'm sure you would have created a bear with bullets shooting out of its gob!" she screamed in his face.  
  
"No! But I would have shot the damn thing if it had hurt you and I was holding the gun!" Theo yelled. Everyone looked at him in slight shock, knowing he wasn't the type to shout - but they had all been through a lot.  
  
Kida shook her head. "But it wasn't me! I wish it were! Because Tiran's DEAD now, Theo! He's dead! And he's not coming back! He didn't just 'get hurt'! He died! And do you know why he died? Because he was saving me! And do you know why he was saving me? Because of the bear! And why was the bear there in the first place? Because I created the stupid thing!! I wished Tiran was never my protector!"  
  
"Tiran didn't save you because he was your protector, Kida", Theo said, trying not to yell at her. "He saved you because he loved you. You two had a friendship that lasted so many years - and always will".  
  
"I ended it . . ." Kida said sadly. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. He's gone now, so it just doesn't matter. Let's get going, ok?"  
  
She avoided Theo's eyes as she walked out of the tree.  
  
Leo put a hand on Theo's shoulder. "She'll be fine . . . we just have to stick together".  
  
Raph stood up and walked out of the tree, followed by Donnie. Mikey walked over to Theo and gave a sad smile.  
  
"Kida can't walk fully on her own, so I'll help her, ok?" he said, quite sadly.  
  
Theo nodded. "She'll be too mad at me to except my help, so go ahead". Mikey nodded and walked out the tree. Theo followed him and Leo followed after. They could see Mikey running to catch up with Kida. She was limping a bit and said something to Mikey. He nodded in an understanding way and walked beside her. Leo looked at Theo and he looked back - thinking the same thing. Kida wasn't going to accept anyone's help now.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Two hours of walking and Kida remained limping; Mikey frowning softly at her side. She kept giving him brief smiles, as if secretly saying, "I deserve it and you know it!"  
  
Mikey was about to offer to help her for the hundredth time, when -  
  
"Hey guys!" she shouted, receiving everyone's attention.  
  
They realised they were all standing on top of a mountain top, their thoughts overtaking their eyes as they were walking. Everyone looked down in slow motion.  
  
There, just a tiny dot ahead of them, was the outlines of a small castle (well it did look small from where they were standing), hidden among all the trees. Four of its points stuck out, with one main point built smack in the middle. The castle looked tricky to get to, but yet very possible.  
  
Kida smiled slightly at them.  
  
"There", she said, "is Splinter's location".  
  
They all smiled back, relieved.  
  
Kida nodded for no apparent reason, but in her head she was thinking, "yes, he's in there - not far at all - you can go home, safe, and back to normal", but allowed she said, "Your Master is barely a day away". 


	16. One Step Closer

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"Ok, guys", Kida said seriously, pacing around the small room, "this isn't gonna be easy. The castle has more than one level - way more . . . if we want to get in quickly, we have to work quickly. No stalling, no dawdling, and NO messing around".  
  
As she said her last words, all eyes turned to Mikey.  
  
"What?" Mikey asked. "I've been here 3 days and Kida and Theo already think I'M the practical joker?"  
  
Kida glanced at Theo, and he glanced back.  
  
"Yes", they both said.  
  
Mikey shrugged. "What can I say? I'm unique".  
  
"Everyone's unique", Kida said, a slight annoyance to her voice. "We will rest here for a couple of hours, and then head on. The castle is in full eye-view now, so best save your strength".  
  
"We're not the ones with the injuries", Raph pointed out, waving a hand at her arms and stomach.  
  
"No", Kida snapped. "But if you was, you'd be slumped down in this room here and now. You're weak inside - I'm not".  
  
"What?!" Raph shouted. "That is a load of -"  
  
"Leave it Raph", Leo said firmly.  
  
Raph growled and sat down on the hard floor, folding his arms. The room was the worse one they had been in so far, and Raph didn't have a clue why, since the others were so much nicer.  
  
"Why are we in this dump anyway?" he asked. "What happened to the other types of rooms?"  
  
"I kinda have a theory about that", Donnie said.  
  
"You have a theory for everything", Mikey smiled.  
  
Donnie smiled back and turned to Kida. "You know a lot about this place. I was wondering . . . with what has - er . . . happened - so far . . . does this place go on emotions also? Because, looking outside, it's still raining - and it started when . . . well, anyway . . . does the mood of this place change when other peoples' emotions do?"  
  
"How should I know?" Kida said. "I'm just the 'princess' of this dump". She said the word 'princess' with the sarcastic tone Raph was so used to.  
  
"Kida - you've never complained before", Theo said.  
  
"Yeah - well . . . I am now!" she snapped, and walked into the dull bathroom that was attached to the room, slamming the door loudly.  
  
Mikey smiled slightly. "Something tells me - 'discussion is over'!"  
  
Donnie nodded. "You think?"  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Kida sighed and looked at her reflection in the dusty bathroom mirror.  
  
It did not do her justice.  
  
Her face, so brown and clean, now looked as though she had been beaten up. Her blue eyes didn't show their usual glint, and were red from crying and lack of sleep. Her lips felt dry and cracked, even though they weren't. Her cheeks ached from so many falls she had taken in the past 3 days, and she had lost the glow from them.  
  
Her body didn't do as much justice either.  
  
Kida sighed and pulled off her clothes, doing it the mortal way instead of being lazy and using her powers. She never wanted to use them again . . . who knew what she could do now. Checking herself over, she sighed again. Bruises scattered her arms, thighs, stomach and back. At this rate she'd be as green as the guys. Blood soaked through the bandages on her stomach, and the ones on her shoulder and hand were mudded up. She took the bandages off her hand, and shook her head at the dried blood. Typical, she thought.  
  
Taking off all the bandages, she studied herself fully. Her whole bodied was covered in dry blood and bruises. Kida felt the anger boil inside of her as she looked herself over.  
  
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" she growled angrily, and punched the bathroom wall.  
  
She wiped the tears from her eyes roughly with the back of her hand, and turned on the water for a bath. Better to be clean than bloody bruised, she told herself.  
  
In the opposite room, all 5 heads looked up at the bathroom wall.  
  
"Hmm . . ." Mikey shrugged. "A-lo-lot of anger in that girl".  
  
"Oooh", Theo said with a small smile, "she can get SO much angrier than THAT!"  
  
Raph, Leo, Donnie and Mikey stopped what they were doing and looked at Theo, all each with one eye-ridge raised, mouths partly open.  
  
"She CAN?" they all said, and Theo laughed.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
When Kida came out later, with a clean pair of jeans on and a green t- shirt, the guys kept quiet. Her face wasn't the happiest one ever seen. In fact, it made her look like a right moody child.  
  
"Did you take your bandages off?" Donnie asked.  
  
Kida shrugged. "Yeah . . . but I've redone them".  
  
"Oh, ok then", Donnie said.  
  
Kida clicked her fingers and a hair bobble appeared in her hand. Sighing, she began to plait her dry hair, as it wouldn't plait wet so she was forced to use her 'freaky' ability. That was she saw it as now - freaky.  
  
The guys watched in silence as Kida separated her hair in three sections, plaiting it as fast as she could. They had noticed the change on her face now, from when she had first used her powers in front of them. Now it seemed as if she didn't even want them anymore.  
  
Her hair now plaited, Kida headed towards the entrance. "You coming or what?" she snapped at the guys, who sat still.  
  
Leo shrugged slightly and stood up. "Yeah", he said slowly. "C'mon guys".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"I love this sneaky stuff", Mikey whispered. "It's so awesome!"  
  
"It won't be awesome if you don't keep quiet!" Kida snapped.  
  
"Gee, lighten up", Raph said.  
  
"Lighten up?!" she hissed at him. "Lighten up?! We're on the first floor, your brother won't stop yakking, I've had the worse day of my life and you want me to lighten up?! Man, you are pathetic. I can't wait until you leave!"  
  
"Look", Leo said. "Let's just get going. No arguing, ok?" He threw a look in both Raph's and Kida's direction.  
  
"Whatever", she said, before leading them on.  
  
"Sorry guys", Theo whispered, when Kida was out of earshot. "She isn't normally like this, you know".  
  
"We know", they all said back.  
  
"Guys!" Kida hissed. "Guys! Over here! Sssh!"  
  
Walking quietly down the first damp, cold corridor Kida has shown them, they all leaned around the first corner they came to. Mikey leaned on Kida's shoulder to look, and she stared at him with an expression as stoned as the walls. Mikey just grinned and eased his grip, not knowing which shoulder was her injured one. He leaned forward some more and gasped along with his brothers when he saw the giant, sleeping tiger in front of them. It was massive - way massive! With silver fur and dark brown strips, just a few different shades of colour from Tiran but about 8 foot bigger.  
  
"Hey!" Mikey whispered. "He looks like -" He stopped when everyone looked at him, Kida's eyebrow now down in a quiet growl.  
  
"Never mind", Mikey quickly said.  
  
"Ok", Kida whispered, throwing another angry look at Mikey. "Just quietly walk past him. No noises. He'll stay asleep as long as he hears NO noises. You guys are ninjas, so you should be good at this".  
  
She pointed over to the far side of the corridor, where a door was opened for them to go through. "Just run through there", she said. "And best go in ones or twos".  
  
Leo nodded. "Ok", he said. "C'mon Donnie".  
  
"Wow, what a magnificent creature", Donnie whispered quietly. Leo rolled his eyes and walked a few paces ahead on silent footsteps. Donnie followed behind, creeping silently behind his brother, making no noises at all. When they made it to the door on the other side, they motioned with their hands that the next pair could come.  
  
Raph and Mikey went next. Raph kept his hand over Mikey's mouth, knowing what his brother was like when it came to sudden comments. He joined Donnie and Leo before releasing his brother.  
  
When they turned around they saw Theo running quietly across the floor, past the tiger's mouth and then standing right next to the guys. The turtles looked back for Kida, but she wasn't there.  
  
"Hey, where's Kida?" Leo asked.  
  
"I'm here", she answered, standing behind the door.  
  
"Hey", Raph said. "How did you get here before us?"  
  
"I can teleport, remember?" she whispered. "There is NO way I am running past that thing!"  
  
"You made us run past that thing!" Raph hissed.  
  
"Yeah", she snapped. "But I don't care about YOU!"  
  
"Kida!" Theo snapped. "I don't know what's the matter with you! Look, we all know that the tiger looked like Tiran, but you don't have to take it out on Raph!"  
  
"No", Raph said, holding his arm out. "Don't worry about it, Theo. She knows she can't cope without Tiran, so she's taking it out on us. She knows that when we go, she'll have nothing to do! Because Tiran isn't here!"  
  
A tense silence suddenly grew as Kida's hand flew across Raph's face, leaving a painful looking white and then red mark glowing on his cheek.  
  
"Ouch . . ." Mikey whispered so silently that Theo, who was standing next to him, was the only one that heard it.  
  
As Raph let out a growl, Theo ran up to Kida and grabbed her arm, giving a sweet, apologetic smile to Raph and his brothers. "We'll walk ahead", he said. "Just don't lose us, ok?"  
  
"Ok", Leo said. "We won't". He smiled slightly at Theo, whom he had made quite a friend out of since Tiran had died.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"I can't believe she slapped me!" Raph hissed, walking up an old staircase with his brothers. Kida and Theo were walking ahead, and since Kida and Raph hadn't spoken for about an hour now, they both kept their distance apart. Raph himself hadn't mentioned the slap until now.  
  
"You know", Donnie said quietly. "You kinda deserved that".  
  
"Why did I?!" Raph snapped. "C'mon genius, why did I deserve that?!"  
  
Donnie looked at Leo and Mikey, answering their reason as well as his why Raph deserved what he got. He turned and looked Raph dead in the eyes. "Because what you said was true", he answered seriously.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"What floor are we on now?" Kida asked with a sigh.  
  
Theo glanced down the corridor they had reached and looked for the number that was normally carved in the stone. When he had found it he replied, "Number 10".  
  
Kida sighed. "Splinter's at the top. Ages yet".  
  
They walked on in silence, listening to the muffled arguments of Raph and Donnie and few steps behind. Theo felt the need to say something, but everything he thought of in his head all lead to a slap just like Raph had got. Theo stifled a laugh. Kida wouldn't slap him - they had been friends for years.  
  
Kida noticed his smiling face and frowned. "What's so funny?" she asked. "Personally I don't think this is the time for smiling".  
  
Theo looked at her, his green eyes so much like Tiran's. Kida felt a lump rise to her throat but she swallowed, forcing her emotions down.  
  
"Well?" she snapped. "What?!"  
  
He smiled again, and Kida really felt the urge to slap him. How could he be smiling like that when so much had happened already?  
  
"I was just thinking", he said. "If I was ever like Raph, would you slap me?"  
  
"C'mon!" Kida said. "You are nothing like Raph! No one can be like him!"  
  
"You are", Theo said.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I said you are", he repeated. "Oh, come on Kida! Think about it. He never reveals his emotions and neither do you. He gets angry easily and so do you. He can snap if he's not in a good mood and so do you! You're like this!" He crossed his index finger and middle finger over to prove his point.  
  
"We are not!" Kida snapped.  
  
Theo smiled again.  
  
"You better wipe that smile off your face before I slap it off!" she threatened.  
  
Theo's smile just widened. "Go on then".  
  
She growled at him and turned around, stomping her way up the stairs. Boys! Why did she have to be with a group of 4 boys! Well, 5 with Tiran - but he wasn't exactly human or a boy like Theo - or the guys when she thought of it. Tiran was more of a young man, probably in his twenties if she pictured him human. But she liked him better as a tiger - bold, fierce and capable of love if chance was given.  
  
"Hey", Theo's voice broke into her thoughts. "Watcha thinking?"  
  
Kida shook her head. "Nothing", she replied.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
7 painful, breathless hours later, the tired group reached the top level - number 110.  
  
Mikey collapsed on the floor of the corridor, and Donnie slumped down beside him. Leo even rewarded himself to a rest on the cold, stone floor, having congratulated himself on climbing so many floors in so many hours. Raph had finally plucked up the courage to say sorry to Kida, away from his brothers, and she had accepted, telling him he could off said sorry 6 hours ago then, whenever they had stopped for short rests, she wouldn't have looked at him so coldly.  
  
Raph had laughed slightly at this. "Heh, if looks could kill -"  
  
"Oh, in my head you were dead and buried 6 hours ago", Kida said.  
  
"What?"  
  
She smiled for the first time. "I'm kidding. BUT - you were badly bruised".  
  
Raph gave her a small smile and walked over to his brothers, sitting down next to Mikey for his own rest. Kida watched him from where she was and shook her head. She had lied; he was dead in her eyes when she had slapped him.  
  
"Everything good between you two?" Leo asked, coming up beside her.  
  
Kida nodded. "Yeah - but I don't feel guilty for slapping him".  
  
"He knows that", Leo said, smiling at her. "But he is sorry, Kida, even if it doesn't seem to show".  
  
"It shows all right", Kida said.  
  
Leo shrugged. "Maybe you're the one who can only see it", he said, before going over to join his brothers, playing punching Mikey when he offered his lap.  
  
"Leo's wrong", Theo said, standing next to her. "I could see the guilt written all over his face earlier. But then again, that's just me!"  
  
"He's lucky I didn't kill him", Kida said, looking out the small window that was placed in the corridor. They still had to keep moving, but Kida figured that the guys at least deserved some rest.  
  
Theo smiled. "Aww, come on. What he said was wrong but death wasn't in order, was it?"  
  
"Would have been if you hadn't have moved me", she muttered. "And I'm getting sick of your smile!" she added, snapping at him. "Will you stop smiling?! Tiran's dead and you're smiling!"  
  
The smiled widened. "Tiran wouldn't have wanted a frown", Theo said.  
  
"Tiran didn't want death in the first place!" Kida snapped, grabbing at his t-shirt and pulling him so close that their noses almost bumped together. "I'm serious, Theo. Stop smiling!!"  
  
His smile remained. "Why?"  
  
"Argh!" Kida let go of him and sighed. "I would slap you if we didn't know each other!"  
  
"You love me really!"  
  
Kida had to laugh at that. "Since when did you become so annoying?"  
  
"Since I haven't seen you laugh in ages", he said, and his smile vanished. "There - no more smiling. I just wanted to get a laugh outta you. Now are we going?"  
  
"Sure", she said, growling at him for tricking her. "Lets go, guys!"  
  
"GO?" Mikey asked, shocked. "I've only just sat DOWN!"  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Phew, thank god for that! Soooo sorry I haven't posted. To be honest I can't wait until I've finished this - then I think I'll stick to short stories. Thankies for the reviews anyway Leo, Raph, etc, etc, etc ^_^) 


	17. A New Evil

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"Oh man", Mikey sighed. "How many more rooms do we have to go through?"  
  
"This castle stretches across most of the forest grounds", Kida said. "I'm positive that we only have an hour to go . . ."  
  
"But Kida", Leo spoke up. "We've only got 2 hours to find Splinter".  
  
Kida turned around to face him, walking a slow pace backwards. "Trust me – I know where we're going", she said seriously, before turning back around.  
  
"Maybe", Raph said, "but can you get us there in time?"  
  
"Time has nothing to do with it", Theo said. "It's whether you actually find your Master that's important. Don't worry; Kida's helped so many people over the years. If anyone can help you, it's her".  
  
Donnie nodded to show his agreement and looked outside; glancing in each little window they walked past. "It's still raining", he said, basically telling himself.  
  
Theo smiled slightly. "Yup, it will be".  
  
Donnie frowned, raising an eye ridge at Theo. "Because of . . ." he said slowly.  
  
Theo grinned and nodded. "The one and only", he finished for him, his glance casting down on Kida's back.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Keja sat on the top on the castle roof, looking through the ceiling at Kida and her new 'friends'. Well, she didn't exactly look as though they were her friends. The only person he had seen her be the tiniest bit nice to was Theo, and it took him ages to gain her trust at the start. Keja's features formed into a frown. His hair was scruffy and matted to his forehead in the rain. Something was going to – or had – happened. He could feel it.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
A low, slightly muffled, rumbling sound pierced the air, and the 6 walking in the castle stood still.  
  
"What", Mikey whispered, "is that?"  
  
Raph frowned. "Er, Mikey . . . that wasn't you, was it?"  
  
Mikey froze. "Please! Even I can't make a sound THAT loud!"  
  
"Don't – move", Theo said slowly. "Kida?"  
  
Kida shook her head as the rumbling got louder. "Don't look at me".  
  
Another sound echoed and bounced back off the walls.  
  
Donnie turned to the others. "I hear cracking", he said.  
  
As soon as the words left his lips, the ground rumbled beneath their feet. Everybody glanced down, their eyes wide. From the distance, the faint sound of cracking got louder, and louder, until it became unbearable. Kida was the only person that looked up and, as she did, the floor ahead of her spilt and started to zigzag her way.  
  
"Guys!" she screamed, zooming ahead of them. "RUN!"  
  
"Why -?" Mikey asked, but Theo had grabbed his arm and was dragging him along.  
  
"This doesn't even make sense!" Donnie shouted as Kida lead the way. "Shouldn't the whole thing be crumbling?!"  
  
"Figure it out later, genius!" Raph yelled back.  
  
"In here!" Kida shouted, pointing to a door ahead of her. She clicked her fingers and it creaked open just as she ran inside. The guys followed, and Leo slammed the door behind them.  
  
They listened in silence as the rumbling died down, and the cracking stopped.  
  
Everyone sighed and turned round. As soon as they did, all of them gasped.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Splinter!?" The guys gasped.  
  
"Keja!!" Kida gasped also, her mouth opened wide.  
  
Theo took in his surroundings as the others gawped at their Masters. Stone walls, stone ceiling and floor, and a clearing ahead of him that he couldn't exactly see – but he got a small glimpse of clear water. Ahead of him stood Splinter, whom the guys were now surrounding, and next to him stood Keja. Theo had to admit that seeing a huge rat being swarmed by turtles was slightly alarming, but he had seen far much more.  
  
"Are you ok?" Raph asked his Master, checking him over.  
  
"Where have you been?!" Donnie asked.  
  
"Did anyone hurt you?" Leo asked.  
  
"Do you have any food?!!" Mikey asked, smiling when they all looked at him.  
  
Splinter sighed and shook his head, smiling. "I am perfectly alright", he said, hugging each of his sons in turn. Splinter then looked at Kida and smiled. "I believe we have met before, my child".  
  
"Uh-huh", Kida nodded, her mind elsewhere, like on her own Master. "Yeah – erm, yeah – I'm not that good at meditation, I'm afraid".  
  
Splinter nodded. "Your presence warned me before I was taken. For that, I thank you".  
  
"WAIT! Wait!" Raph yelled. "Kida KNEW you were going to come here?"  
  
Keja stepped forward. "We always know", he said, "and we always try to contact the victims before this world decides on bringing them here. We are not allowed to help, though some of us do". He raised an eyebrow at Theo and Kida – they both looked at each other, their eyes away from Keja. "We look after the victims, like we did Theo when he was one – but we cannot get them back ourselves, unless they succeed".  
  
"But we did succeed!" Mikey said. "That means we can go back!"  
  
A sudden silence grew across the room, and everyone gazed at the floor.  
  
Kida sighed.  
  
Keja instantly knew someone was missing, and scanned everyone in the room. "Wait", he said softly, breaking the silence. "Where's Tiran?"  
  
Splinter's eyes showed confusion and Leo touched his Master's shoulder.  
  
"I'll explain later", he whispered, and Splinter nodded.  
  
"Kida? Theo?" Keja asked. "Where is Tiran?"  
  
Kida glanced at the floor. "You know everything that goes on in this place", she said to him, as Theo stood silently beside her. "You should know when someone is dead".  
  
Keja stepped back, shocked. "He's dead?"  
  
"No, he's hiding to fool you", Kida snapped. "Of course he's bloody dead!!"  
  
Everyone looked at her when the words had left her mouth. Kida shook her head, more or less angry with herself for snapping at Keja. Theo touched her shoulder, but she shrugged him off.  
  
"Theo", Keja said. "Tell me. How did he die?"  
  
Kida started to walk back over to the door, listening to any sounds of movement. "He got shot", she said as she walked. "I pictured a bear with bullets coming out of its mouth and it appeared with a click of my fingers. Tiran got in a bullet's path when it was coming towards me. At the time, I had a gun in my hands, and I shot the bear. So yes – bingo, you've guessed it – I killed them both. Oh yeah, I got injured to, but that's nothing compared to what happened to the two animals. They didn't deserve to die – any of them. But why did they die? Anybody?" She reached the door and turned back around. They all looked at her in silence. "Nobody knows? Sure you do! Because I got stuck with freaky powers that I couldn't control!!"  
  
As she screamed the last words, she kicked the wooden door in anger.  
  
"I hate this place", she muttered. "I HATE IT!!"  
  
Keja walked up beside her, reaching an arm out.  
  
"Don't touch me!!" she screamed in his face. "You know what – this is YOUR fault! It's your entire fault! If you hadn't kept me here, I wouldn't have even got these stupid powers! I hate you! I hate all of you!"  
  
She threw a punch at Keja's face, but he caught her hand in his, his face expressionless. Kida blinked back her burning tears, and aimed another punch, only to have her fist caught again.  
  
Keja knelt down to her level, with her hands in his and sighed.  
  
"You were destined for those powers", he said. "You know you were".  
  
Kida shook her head. "I hate you", she whispered.  
  
"No", Keja said, "you don't. You hate yourself, Kida, not me".  
  
Silent tears rolled down Kida's face, and she sniffed. The guys watched in silence as Keja released her and stood up. He didn't even hug her, Mikey thought. But as Keja slowly walked over to them, Kida quickly wiped at her tears and ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his t-shirt. For the first time, the turtles saw the child in her.  
  
Keja stroked her hair and looked at Theo and the guys. "Now", he said, "you may go home".  
  
Leo nodded and looked at Kida. She glanced at him before shaking her head and turning her face back to Keja.  
  
Mikey stepped forward. "But we –" he began, before his sentence was cut off.  
  
Another rumbling echoed throughout the clearing and into the space where the guys stood. A invisible wind picked up and blew through the clearing, sending waves of water lapping against the stone walls. Kida let go of Keja's side and walk forward a few steps; only to be greeted by such a strong force of wind it knocked them all flying.  
  
The four turtles flew into the wall, and looked up as 3 bodies came flying at them. Leo caught Splinter as he came back, Raph grabbed Keja and Donnie grabbed hold of Theo. Mikey froze as he looked upwards.  
  
"Er . . . guys – Keja – Splinter", he stuttered. ". . . you may wanna take a look – AT KIDA!!"  
  
Leo's hands accidentally tightened on his Master as he saw Kida flying in mid-air, instead of being thrown back like the rest of them, she had been sucked up 10 feet off the ground. Her face expression was that of shocked frustration and anger.  
  
"What are you doing?" Raph yelled, letting go of Keja. "Get down!"  
  
"I – I can't!" she shouted back, her legs kicking. "What the HELL is going on!?"  
  
"Try teleporting!" Donnie suggested.  
  
Kida scrunched her eyes up tightly, and concentrated on getting to the ground. A blue light formed around her body, and a flash flickered throughout the castle. But when she opened her eyes, she remained where she was.  
  
"HEY!" she shouted. "KEJA! You're stronger than me! Get me down!!"  
  
"Well, lets go home", Raph said, and received a "be quiet" look from Leo and Splinter.  
  
Suddenly, like a light switch going off, the wind stopped. Kida stopped kicking and screamed, as the ground got closer, followed by a wisp of green bandanna. She clicked her fingers and thought as hard as she could, and ended up in the clear water, Theo landed on top of her. Strong arms pulled her out and she looked into Donnie's face. Mikey grabbed Theo's arms, and yanked him out too.  
  
"Close one", she said. "Thanks. Now go! Before something else happens!!"  
  
"We can't go!!" Mikey said, giving Theo a check-over, making sure he was ok.  
  
"Why not?" Theo asked, watching as Splinter, Leo, Keja and Raph ran into the clearing.  
  
"One, we don't know how to get back!" Mikey said. "And two –," he looked up, listening to the loud rumbling. Now he regretted thinking it was the building. "THAT thing is NOT a bear!!"  
  
Kida looked up and screamed, for above her was the most horrible site she had ever seen. Bright red, evil eyes met hers, and sharp white teeth stuck out of the mouth that seemed to twist into an evil grin. The mouth opened, revealing even more teeth and a black, deep mouth. The body was all wind, and she could see right through it. The tail spun and sounded like a whip slashing in the air, sending shivers down everyone's spine. The wings moved slowly, sending up another gust of wind, but not strong enough to send the guys flying. What frightened Kida the most was how the body formed the shape of a corkscrew, and the eyes seemed to single her out only. Kida had seen dragons before, but in her heart she knew this one was made from hell.  
  
She knew her past would come back to her some day, but she never knew she'd look into the face of the source that had killed her parents.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
I am SOOO sorry this is so late, and very crappy written. Lol – I'm beginning to think I'm getting like a certain someone when it comes to posting chapters late (who's name shall not be named, lol * smiles *). Anyway, I haven't got far to go before this is finish – and I know this is NOT one of my best fics. Oh well, I have an up-and-coming author fic! More detail on that soon though – must go! ^_^ Love ya all! Lol 


	18. I Don't Want To See You Again

Dimensional Adventure  
  
"I'm dreaming!" Mikey said, frantically. "This WHOLE thing has been a dream! Theo's not real, Kida's not real, and Keja's not real – neither am I!"  
  
"Mikey, shut up", Raph said, realising with horror that his voice was shaking.  
  
The dragon above let out an ear-piercing roar, making everyone freeze. Kida moved a step closer to Donnie, seeing as he was the only one standing next to her. She was about to grab hold of his arm, maybe to squeeze the life out of it, but he moved away when the dragon moved closer to them.  
  
"Guys . . ." Kida said slowly, but her voice was barely a whisper.  
  
As the dragon got closer, everyone took a step backwards. It was only when it came at them at such a speed that everyone decided to make a run for it. Kida ran around the water, to the back of the clearing, pressing her back against the wall, while everyone else went their separate ways.  
  
Theo stood next to her, grasping at his t-shirt, and the 4 brothers stood on the other side of the water, pulling out their weapons, except for Mikey – who's weapons had been broken.  
  
Splinter and Keja stood not to far away, with a protective glowing orb surrounding them, being powered by Keja himself.  
  
Yeah, sure, Kida thought. Protect him while we're still out in the open!  
  
With a swipe of its tail, the dragon hit the four turtles in their faces, sending them flying into the wall. Kida shouted Raph's name as he hit the floor and stayed still. His brothers landed into the wall on their sides, falling hard to the floor.  
  
Donnie's arm let out a horrible "CRAACCK!" and he knew instantly that it was broken. He gritted his teeth and clutched on his arm, wanting to throw- up at the way it was slightly twisted.  
  
"Donnie!" Leo limped over to his brother, while Mikey crawled over to Raph. "What's wrong? Donnie, what is it?"  
  
"I – I – Leo, I've – broken it", Donnie said through gritted teeth. "I've b- broken my arm".  
  
"You didn't", Leo said, as he gently took hold of Donnie's arm. "He did!!"  
  
Mikey saw what was wrong with Donnie and gritted his teeth in anger at the dragon floating above him. Raph was out cold, so that just made his own anger grow worse – they weren't as strong when one of them was down.  
  
"He hurt them", Kida whispered. "He broke Donnie's arm! I'm gonna kill him!!"  
  
As Kida's sudden outburst echoed around the room, the dragon turned to look at her. Theo grabbed her arm as she moved forward. Leo, Mikey and Donnie looked on with shock, as well as Splinter and Keja, whose protective bubble was beginning to fade.  
  
"I'm gonna kill you!!" Kida screamed, gripping her hands together. A small ball of aqua-colour light glowed between her fingers, and she threw it – like a baseball leaving her hands – at the dragon.  
  
It hit his stomach, and he flew back, flying into the wall, and disappearing in a cloud of air. As soon as it disappeared, it reappeared again, this time above Theo and Kida.  
  
The long tail whipped around Kida's body, pulling her into the air. Another ball of light appeared in her hand, and she through it at the dragon's face, shock as well as thankful that this new source of power came to her. Her breathing became heavier, her body became weaker, but she refused to give up.  
  
A couple of seconds, she thought frantically, that's all I need.  
  
She looked around, spotting Theo standing next to Raph, picking up his sais off the floor. A spark went off inside of her, and she couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Theo!! Raph's sai!!" she shouted. "Throw it! Now!"  
  
Theo frowned, but then obeyed, throwing it as hard as he could into the air.  
  
Kida followed it with her eyes, holding another blue ball in her hands. As the sai came closer, the glowing orb got bigger, and bigger. Kida held it high in the air, and threw it at Raph's sai as hard as she could. The sai shone brightly and flew towards her face. Kida caught it in one hand, and threw it again at the dragon's heart.  
  
His roar became louder, as the sai stayed in mid-air, stabbed through its wind-like body. The red eyes started to fade, and Kida felt herself loosen in the large tail. The dragon disappeared, and Kida fell from the air and into the deep water.  
  
"Kida! No, Kida!" Mikey yelled, jumping up from besides Raph and running into the water after her.  
  
"Mikey!" Leo yelled.  
  
Splinter and Keja ran over to the edge, searching for Mikey and Kida. Leo helped Donnie up and walked over to them, while Theo stayed near Raph, trying to wake him up.  
  
Seconds later Mikey popped out of the water, coughing and dragging a very wet and unconscious Kida out with him. Keja picked her up, while Splinter helped out his youngest son.  
  
"Lets get out of here", Splinter said softly, patting Mikey's shell. "Well done, my son".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
In the hospital Donnie has met Theo in, Raph and Kida lay in separate beds, unconscious. Kida has a small drip attached to her body, whereas Raph just lay asleep in his own way, having already woken up and been informed of what happened.  
  
In the very same room, Donnie was having his arm taped up by Theo, who proved to be a very good doctor as well as a friend.  
  
Mikey sat next to Kida, talking to her and holding her hand, while Leo stood above Raph, silently watching his brother sleep. Splinter and Keja stood in the doorway, having their own whispered conversation.  
  
"Will she be ok?" Splinter asked. "She's ok, isn't she?"  
  
"I don't know", Keja sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. Opposite him, he saw Theo do the same, and he smiled slightly. "The impact of the water hit her pretty hard, I've tried to get to her mind using magic, but it's as if she's blocking everything out, even your son, Mikey".  
  
"So she can't hear him?" Splinter said, looking over to where Mikey was quietly chatting away to his new friend.  
  
"I don't think she wants to hear him", Keja said, shaking his head. "It seems that she's trying to forget everything, preferring to be alone in her own mind".  
  
"But she'll wake up", Splinter said softly, turning to Keja.  
  
Keja just sighed in reply.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Now that Raph's better and Donnie's arm is secure, you can go home", Keja said, standing outside in the hospital corridor, facing the turtles and Splinter.  
  
"We don't want to go", Mikey said. "Kida hasn't woken up yet".  
  
"I will inform you when she does", Keja said. "This way you can get back to your friends".  
  
"But Kida IS our friend!" Mikey protested. "We can't just leave her in her time of need! If she just grasps onto one of our voices, she'll come around".  
  
"It is not that simple", Keja replied softly.  
  
"Mikey, it's better this way", Raph said. "What about April and Casey?"  
  
"They're not unconscious, Raph!" Mikey snapped.  
  
Raph sighed. "Whatever", he snapped back. "But she ain't exactly sitting at home, drinking a cuppa tea in peace!" He turned his back on his brothers, and walked back into the small room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
"Ooh, yeah", Mikey said sarcastically. "Wake Kida up by slamming the door!"  
  
"Michelangelo", Splinter said softly. "We will stay, but we cannot stay forever".  
  
"Tell that to Raph", Mikey mumbled under his breath, walking into the door on his left, where Theo's own flat-like place was. If Kida wasn't listening to his worries, maybe Theo would.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
Raph knew he couldn't go back outside, otherwise Leo and Splinter would start nagging at him, and he just couldn't stand any lectures today. So he plonked himself on the chair next to Kida's bed, and watched her breathing pattern. Her freshly washed skin looked a lot better than it did before, even if she was unconscious, and Keja had put her in a pair of grey cotton pyjamas.  
  
Raph smiled slightly. "I don't suppose slapping you will wake you up", he said quietly. "But then again it would pay you back for those times you slapped, punched, yelled at me. I supposed on some I deserved it, but I can't help for being the way I am".  
  
Raph froze. Ok, he thought, I'm talking to a still body. And she can't even hear me!  
  
Raph sighed – not that he would want Kida to hear him. She'd just laugh at the way he was talking to her. They hadn't exactly gotten to like each other. Hate each other was more of a way to describe it. But now that she was out of it, looking so vulnerable, Raph realised that she was like him, but his anger reached a much higher level.  
  
"Keja wants you to wake up", Raph said, not liking the quietness of the room and feeling comforted that his own voice provided sound, instead of the beeping of the machine next to Kida. "And so does Mikey – well, especially Mikey, he's been talking to you for hours. And Theo. He wants you to wake up, too. When I was lying next to you I – I even heard him say he loved you; that you were the best friend he ever had. Disgusting, huh? You're lucky you were unconscious for it".  
  
Raph took Kida's hand, listening to the quiet beeping of her heart.  
  
"Come on, Kida", he said. "You're being a wimp. The Kida I've gotten to know would never give up on the chance of life. I know you want to be with your family, and Tiran, but even they wouldn't want you to give up. You've got so much to live for here. Keja, Theo, this whole place. I know you've helped others out of here, so help yourself. Don't be such a weakling".  
  
Kida mumbled in her sleep, her head tilting to one side.  
  
"Kida!" Raph leaned forward slightly. "Can you hear me? Kida, listen, squeeze my hand if you can hear me. Kida?"  
  
Her fingers moved against Raph's, giving them the tiniest press before lying still in his own hand again.  
  
Raph opened his mouth in shock. His own head throbbed from when he was forced into the wall, but also from the fact that Kida could hear him, and respond back. He'd seen loads of coma-like-stories on TV, and it was always the same. Person wouldn't wake up, turn life support machine off. But Kida wasn't even on a life support machine.  
  
"Kida, come on – fight it!" Raph urged. "Don't give in to stay this way forever. Open your eyes. Do it for Mikey, he's so frightened for you. Please – if not do it for me, just so I can give you a good punch again".  
  
Raph suddenly felt a tiny tap on his cheek, and looked to see Kida's face staring back at him, her hand on his face. He realised that she was trying to slap him, despite her lack of energy, and her hand flopped back down onto the bed. Her aqua eyes filled with tears, and she blinked them away, letting them slide down her face and drip on her ears.  
  
Raph smiled and squeezed her hand. "You're still a weakling", he said. "But I'm glad you had the guts to fight back".  
  
Kida smiled back at him. "I – I didn't", she whispered. "But when I hear someone calling me a w – weakling, I refuse to accept that". Her eyes filled with tears once more.  
  
Raph frowned. "What's wrong?"  
  
Kida sniffed. "I saw Tiran", she said quietly.  
  
Raph nodded. "You know he would have wanted you to come back. And you've still got Theo here with you".  
  
"What about you guys?" she asked.  
  
"We –," Raph stopped, trying to place his words. "I think we're gonna go home".  
  
Kida nodded. "That's the plan anyway", she said. "I can't stand you here. Look what you've gotten me into. It's best if you leave".  
  
She smiled slightly but Raph knew that part of that was serious. Letting go of her hand, he walked over to the door. "This talk stays between us, right?" he asked, but his tone demanded it.  
  
"It's blackmail", Kida said, "but it stays between us".  
  
Raph watched her eyes closed again and shook his head in disbelief. She won't blackmail me, he thought . . . or will she? He sighed. She couldn't do that to him, she wouldn't. He stopped thinking to himself and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, and went in search of Keja. At least some good news came out of all this.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"How?" Keja asked, as soon as Raph informed him of the good news. "How did she do it? How did she wake up?"  
  
Raph shook his head. "Well", he said sarcastically. "Don't get me wrong, but I THINK she stirred and opened her eyes. I can't be sure though – you can never be sure that there's more than one way to wake up. Maybe – just maybe – she was sleep walking!"  
  
Keja smiled. "Ok, ok, calm down, I only asked".  
  
Raph just said nothing and glanced at the floor. "Will she be ok?" he asked quietly, mentally slapping himself for asking, just in case Keja thought he actually cared THAT much.  
  
Keja rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. "Should think so", he said, and then looked at Raph. "Did you talk to her when you were in there?"  
  
Raph took and step backwards. "No!" he said sharply. "What would I talk to her for? She was unconscious! Not much use if she's knocked out, is there? We never spoke when she was conscious anyway!"  
  
Keja lifted his hands in front of him. "Ok, ok!" he said with a grin. "Only asked!"  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Hey".  
  
Kida wearily turned her head towards the person sitting in the chair next to her bed and smiled. "Hi".  
  
Theo smiled back. "How ya feeling?"  
  
"Sleepy", she replied.  
  
Theo laughed. "Yeah, I would be too", he said. "So, er, what happened?"  
  
Kida clumsily sat up, leaning her back against her pillows for support. "I dunno", she said, frowning. "Something just clicked and this orb started to glow in my hand. And I had control – it all just fazed into place from there".  
  
"I don't mean the power", Theo said softly. "I meant the unconscious part".  
  
"I was knocked out", Kida said. "Nothing happened".  
  
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Kida", he said, "we're friends".  
  
Kida looked at him in shock. "Raph told you!!" she blurted. "I'll kill him!"  
  
"Oooh, no, no, no, no, no", Theo said, grabbing her hand as he saw it glow blue slightly. "You've had enough orbs for one day. Look, it's not something to keep to oneself. Raph only told me, I promise you. He thought you might want to talk to someone about it. And since we've been best friends for . . ." Theo paused. "So . . . erm, did Tiran – er – did he – SAY anything?"  
  
Kida shook her head. "No, I just saw his appearance, Theo, and then I heard Raph telling me to snap outta it. And that's it, no words, no nothing".  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"What do you want, a lecture?!" she snapped. "That's it!"  
  
"Don't start snapping at me, Kida!" Theo yelled back, making her jump in surprise. His hand tightened on hers, and she winced. "You're not the only one who misses Tiran, ok?"  
  
"Theo", Kida said, her voice cracking. "You – you're hurting me. Let go – please".  
  
Theo loosened his grip. "I – I'm sorry", he said quickly. "I didn't mean to".  
  
"Don't worry about it", she replied, twisting the material of her bed sheets with her free hand. An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Kida shudder, feeling uneasy with Theo standing beside her – as if he was going to squeeze the life out of her hand again.  
  
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.  
  
"Yes – I mean, no –" Kida said. "I don't want you to go".  
  
"I am sorry".  
  
"I said don't worry about it".  
  
"I didn't mean to hurt you".  
  
"Theo!" Kida said, looking up at him. "I said DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!"  
  
Tears filled her eyes and she sighed. "Look", Kida said quietly. "I can't keep snapping at you, but you – well, everyone – sometimes – you just, well, you kinda won't –"  
  
"I know", Theo interrupted, nodding. "I hate it when people keep going on about stuff to me, too. Especially when I don't want them to".  
  
Kida wiped her eyes roughly. "You're my best friend", she said. "But I can't tell you everything. I'm sorry – maybe someday I will – just not now, ok?"  
  
"Ok".  
  
Kida smiled slightly. "Erm, now you can leave".  
  
"Don't I get a kiss?"  
  
"Theo!!" Kida laughed. "Leave!!"  
  
"Can't blame a lad for trying", Theo grinned.  
  
"Can't blame a turtle for trying either!" a voice shouted behind them, and they both looked up to see Mikey beaming in the doorway.  
  
"KIDA!" he smiled, running over to her and kissing her cheek. "You're awake!" he said, in dramatic drama-acting voice. "I just wanna hug ya and kiss ya! BUT – I won't – don't wanna catch the be-unconscious-for-8-hours bug!"  
  
Kida rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks Mikey".  
  
"Sorry, mate", Mikey grinned, nudging Theo's arm. "She's taken now!"  
  
"MIKEY!"  
  
"What?" he asked innocently. "He blew his chance!"  
  
Kida shook her head. "Where're the others?"  
  
"Donnie's having his arm checked on by Keja", Mikey replied, "Raph's blowing off some steam in one of the rooms – not sure which one. Leo and Splinter are both meditating right on the other side of this wall". Mikey walked over to the wall and banged on it loudly. "Yo, LEO! How's the meditation going?!"  
  
"Go AWAY, Mikey!" came Leo's muffled voice.  
  
Kida frowned. "Erm, are you guys going home?"  
  
"Huh?!" Mikey asked, turning back around. "Er – yeah – yeah, we are".  
  
"Oh".  
  
"We'll visit!" Mikey said, patting her arm.  
  
"You can't", Theo said. "Once people leave, they can never return. Not unless Kida or Keja goes to visit you".  
  
"Will you?" Mikey asked, looking at Kida.  
  
Kida sighed and shook her head, making Mikey frown sweetly at her. She looked up at him. "It's best if we don't", she said, realising that Splinter and Leo were now stood in the doorway along with Raph, quietly listening to her. "You see, so many people come here, and I still have to help them out. I don't have time to go and visit many places. And after what's happened, it's best if we distance ourselves away from one another".  
  
Mikey's eye-ridges tilted up. "But why?" he asked softly.  
  
Kida's eyes glistened with tears. "Because after what I've been through", she whispered, "I don't want to see you guys again".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Ok, sorry for the crappy chapter, but I'm REALLY close to finishing this, and I'm glad. Because a) I'm not proud of this story, and b) I can finally start getting to work on my author fic and get down to some serious must- catch-up-on reading. Well, that's all I have to say ^.^ and peace out!) 


	19. Reunited

Dimensional Adventure  
  
(6 MONTHS LATER)  
  
Waves splashed against the sharp rocks below Kida's feet, lightly spraying her face with cold, fresh water. Sunlight shone down on the blue water, reflecting its shadows and sparkles. Kida breathed in the summer air, holding her breath as she dived over the rocks and into the cool water.  
  
In the dimensional world, the water felt different, warmer even. As if it was designed to the right temperature that the swimmer liked it. That was, of course, until Theo did a belly flop next to her and the water suddenly turned freezing cold.  
  
"Jesus, Theo!!" Kida gasped, swimming up to him. "It's freezing!"  
  
"I like it cold!" Theo grinned, splashing her face.  
  
"Well, I want it warm!" Kida argued, kicking her feet to stay up.  
  
"Cold!"  
  
"Warm!"  
  
"Cold!"  
  
"No!" Kida protested, pressing her hands into the water. "Warm!" A red orb glowed in her hands, and she let it go. Seconds later the water was at a hotter temperature.  
  
Theo frowned. "That's not fair", he said. "You used your power!"  
  
Kida smiled evilly. "So? You're lucky I didn't blast you outta the water!" Kida frowned, then added, "And I hope you're wearing something!!"  
  
"I've got long trunks on, stupid!" he said, shocked.  
  
"Fine, I'm out anyway", Kida said deadpan, swimming over to the shore.  
  
"But you've only just come in!" Theo protested. "And you've changed the water temperature! Can't you change it back?"  
  
But Kida was already out of the water and disappearing before his eyes. Theo frowned. This wasn't the Kida he was used to. What happened to the fun- loving girl he knew? The one who didn't normally care that the water was cold? Theo had tried over the past months to get closer to his friend, but his efforts seemed to be blocked out. Kida was blocking everything out, and Theo knew precisely why.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
As the sun lowered itself below the New York buildings, Mikey sighed. He watched the last streak of yellow sink, leaving behind oranges, purples, pinks, red and just the slightest hint of blue.  
  
Blue, Mikey thought. Such a natural colour of peace and calmness  
  
Mikey always knew that Leo was a calm person, and that was why he got the blue bandanna. But one thing nagged him, and that was why Kida wasn't like his brother in blue. For some reason Mikey tried to connect Kida's eyes with Leo's bandanna colour. Crazy, he knew, but he was always determined to figure out why Kida didn't want to see them any more.  
  
Splinter had always explained to him. What she had been through, her physical scars and emotional ones, her past being brought up again. But it wasn't as though that was Mikey's fault.  
  
6 months on and Mikey still felt the need to see Kida again. To see her when she had smiled that small smile at him, or looked determined instead of angry. Instead of Leo, she was more like Raph in her own way. But surely she couldn't forget about the guys just like that? Those first few months were hard for Mikey and his brothers, shouldn't Kida had gone through the same phase?  
  
A distance behind Mikey, Raph shook his head. His brother was always sitting on the same rooftop, no doubt thinking about Kida. Raph's eye ridges tilted downwards. If he could get over not seeing Kida then so could Mikey. So what, Raph always told himself. She was the one who didn't want to see us, not the other way around, why should we feel guilty?  
  
But in a way, it was their fault. If they hadn't had accepted her help in the first place, she wouldn't have been injured, bruised, emotionally hurt, and worse of all, Tiran wouldn't have been dead.  
  
Raph growled quietly. It wasn't like Kida was thinking about them, so why should he think about her? They never saw eye to eye, and he had never liked her anyway.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Stupid Theo", Kida said quietly, as she changed into her navy jeans and green t-shirt. He always got to her, and she hated it. Kida roughly plaited her hair, pulled on some trainers and ran back outside, hopping onto a train and getting off when it reached her favourite spot.  
  
The ocean was now below her, and Kida sat on the grassy cliff and watched the rest of the sun settle into its bed, and the water go from its clear blue to dark. A few stars rested above her, and Kida focused her eyes straight ahead, watching the last strip of orange settle.  
  
"Thought I'd find you here", a voice said behind her.  
  
"Sod off, Theo, I'm not in the mood", Kida snapped.  
  
Theo sat down beside her, resting his arms on his knees and looking in the direction of the ocean. Kida turned her head and saw that he had changed out of his trunks and into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. His green bandanna remained on his head. Kida shook her head. Not that he ever took it off.  
  
"You miss them, don't you?" he asked, turning to face her.  
  
Kida opened her mouth to protest, but then she just closed it and looked back at him. Her eyes dared him to go on, as if saying, "You say anything else and I WILL blast you into the ocean".  
  
"Fine, don't talk to your best friend about it!" he snapped, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"You don't have to snap at me!" Kida yelled.  
  
"Arguing seems the only way to get you to listen to me!" Theo shouted, and Kida moved her head back in shock. "I mean it, Kida! These past months have been torture; I've about given up. It's as if you hate me. And I can't say that I like you lately, since you've been so aggressive with me".  
  
"But I –"  
  
"You have", Theo said, his eyes softening. "You know you have. It's because of the guys. Donnie, Leo, Mikey, and Raph – you want to see them all. So you're taking your frustration out on me. I do have a brain. I can tell, ya know".  
  
"Look!" Kida snapped, raising her hand. "That is not true!" A small orb started to glow in her hand, but Theo stood his ground.  
  
"You can get rid of that!" he yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. "We're sorting this out once and for all. Keja still has your parents apartment under cover in New York, and that's where we're going!"  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
The apartment was just as Kida and Keja had left it when they were last there. But this time Kida wasn't stuck with a grown-up; she was stuck with Theo. Her heart was pounding in her chest, from being back in her parent's home and the excitement and nerves of seeing the turtles again.  
  
"Theo, I said I didn't want to see them again!" Kida protested, pulling her suitcase inside the door. "And talking Keja into letting us stay here for 3 weeks is ridiculous!"  
  
"Put it this way", Theo said, dragging his suitcase inside. "You get to see the guys again, and you know we both want to. 3 weeks doing nothing like exercises and practice lessons with Keja to control your power. And now that we're here, maybe you'll start being a bit more nicer towards me".  
  
Kida paused in the living room as Theo closed the apartment door and locked it. "I – er – I know I haven't been exactly nice towards you", she said quietly, and Theo looked up at her. "And, well – I – I guess I'm trying to say . . . sorry . . ."  
  
"Excuse me?" Theo said, grinning. "Can I hear that again? Did Mrs Raphael- sound-alike just apologise to me? After the pain and suffering I have been dragged through? For 6 months, I might add".  
  
"Don't joke", Kida said seriously, blinking back the guilt that wanted to escape her body in tears. "I'm being serious. It's hard enough with you thinking this is a game".  
  
Theo smiled and grabbed Kida in a hug. Sobs escaped her throat and she buried her face in his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his waist.  
  
"They'll never forgive me for what I did", she whispered.  
  
Theo pulled away from her and held her shoulders. "They will", he promised. "The guys understood what you went through. If I can forgive you for your snappiness then they can forgive you for your words, ok?"  
  
Kida nodded, not entirely assured. "I'm going for a shower", she said, letting go of Theo's waist. "I'm sorry for everything".  
  
Theo shook his head and pushed her lightly towards the bathroom door. "Clear off", he ordered, smiling. "I'll clear away the stuff and set up the sofa".  
  
"Don't be stupid", Kida yelled from inside the bathroom. "You can sleep in my parents' room. That's where Keja always slept".  
  
"Oh, the sofa's not for me!" Theo shouted back. "I'm the guest. I'm sleeping in your room! YOU'RE the one who's on the SOFA!"  
  
"WHAT?!?"  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
When Kida emerged from the shower, Theo was in the kitchen, cooking a fry- up.  
  
"You do know it's midnight, right?" she asked, sitting on a stool that was near the counter.  
  
Theo smiled. "You do know that what you're wearing aren't really pyjamas, right?" he mimicked, poking her grey t-shirt and shorts with a fork. "Besides, it's not as though we have to wake up early tomorrow, and I'm hungry".  
  
"Firstly, I always wear these for bed", Kida replied. "Secondly, you're always hungry, and thirdly, I am NOT sleeping on the sofa!"  
  
"Head to tail it is then", Theo grinned, topping up a plate with bacon, egg, tomato, mushrooms and fried bread. "Want some?"  
  
Kida shook her head. "I'm not hungry".  
  
"Nerves, huh?" Theo asked, plonking down on a stool next to her.  
  
Kida nodded, watching him dig into his very early breakfast. "Yeah, kinda"  
  
"Don't worry", Theo grinned, showing her a mouth full of food. "I'll be with you".  
  
"Ewww", Kida shook her head in disgust. "You are not the gentleman you used to be. I'm going to bed . . . see ya in the morning". She stood up, smiled, and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.  
  
Theo frowned, shrugged, and carried on eating.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Michelangelo", Splinter said firmly. "Are you taking part in this training?"  
  
"No", Mikey said softly. "I mean –yes – I mean . . . sorry, sensei".  
  
Splinter sighed. "Have a break, my sons", he said to Raph, Donnie and Leo, who were still practicing their fighting. "Michelangelo – you cannot let these emotions interfere with your training, or your thoughts".  
  
"What emotions?" Mikey asked, lazily flicking through the TV channels with the remote. "I haven't got any".  
  
Splinter smiled. "You have plenty, my son. 6 months is a long time".  
  
Mikey nodded. "You'd think Kida would be easy to forget – but she's not".  
  
"I don't know why you're whining, Mikey", Raph said, plonking himself down next to his brother. "Kida wanted us to leave. She said so herself. Why should we remember her when she didn't want to remember us?"  
  
"She didn't mean what she said, Raph!" Mikey argued. "That was the hurt talking".  
  
"She sounded positive to me", Raph said, stealing the remote off Mikey.  
  
"Of course she did", Mikey said sarcastically. "Everyone sounds positive to you!"  
  
"My sons", Splinter said, standing in front of them. "Please, now is not the time to be fighting. It was Kida's choice to remain distance from us, we cannot object to her choices".  
  
"She always objected to ours", Raph mumbled, folding his arms.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"Ready?" Theo asked, grabbing hold of Kida's arm.  
  
"No", she said.  
  
Theo sighed and shook his head. They were both still in Kida's living room, standing smack in the middle, just in front of the fire. It was now 12.00, not long since they had gotten up and changed. Kida was now dressed in blue cut-off jeans and a purple t-shirt, complete with sneakers. Her hair was loosely plaited back, blowing in the invisible breeze coming from her fingers. Theo had pulled on a pair of black jeans and green t-shirt, and was eager to get going.  
  
After 5 more minutes, Theo asked again.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Erm . . . no", she replied, sighing.  
  
"Come on!" Theo protested. "I am NOT standing here all day! Teleport us to the guys . . . NOW!"  
  
"Pushy, pushy", Kida smiled, taking a deep breath. "Ok, ok . . . here we go".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"What the -?!" Raph began.  
  
"Aliens!!" Mikey shouted, jumping up onto the couch as a small glowing ball of light floated in front of the turtles and Splinter.  
  
"What?" Leo and Donnie said together, stepping forward a little.  
  
As the ball got brighter and bigger, Raph started to realise the familiarity. It can't be, he thought, it just can't be.  
  
But it was.  
  
The light slowly faded, disappearing into the hearts of Kida and Theo, who were standing right in front of Splinter.  
  
Time stood still as the turtles froze, their mouths partly open. Theo smiled at them, happiness filling his heart as he saw his old friends. Kida heart had stopped still, and she went to grab Theo's hand, but he was already moving out of the way so that Splinter could stand near her.  
  
"Erm . . . hi", she said nervously.  
  
"Hello", Splinter replied softly, smiling.  
  
"I wanted to say –," she began.  
  
Splinter nodded. "I know".  
  
Kida grinned, giving him a grateful hug. Mikey was the first to stand, coming over to her and touching her shoulder, as if checking that she was real. He grinned wildly, grabbing Kida in a rib-crushing hug.  
  
Tears filled Kida's eyes as Leo and Donnie followed, giving Theo hugs as well as her. She knew, could tell, that they had forgiven her.  
  
"I'm sorry", she managed finally, wiping her eyes.  
  
"Cry all you want", Mikey grinned. "You've come back!"  
  
"I meant I'm sorry for the distance, the time, my horrible attitude – everything", Kida said.  
  
Theo nodded. "Don't I know that attitude", he said, smiling at Kida.  
  
"What changed your mind?" Leo asked, giving her another hug.  
  
"He did", Kida said, nodding at Theo.  
  
"We've missed you", Donnie said.  
  
Kida nodded and looked at Raph, the only one who had remained quiet and still throughout the last 5 minutes.  
  
Raph stood up, his eyes cold and hard as he stared at Kida. She frowned.  
  
"I guess now that you're back you'll leave for another 6 months", he said in a voice so low, that Kida shuddered inside. Without another word, he stomped into his room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
"Raph –," Leo called.  
  
"It's ok, Leo", Kida said, walking over to his bedroom. "We need to sort this out ourselves".  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
When Kida walked into Raph's bedroom, he was spread out on his bed, looking at the ceiling, his hands nested by his sides. He spoke just as Kida closed the door.  
  
"Go away", he said, his face unreadable.  
  
Kida stood against the door, her face half hidden by shadows. "I need to talk to you first", she said, her eyes glinting in the darkness.  
  
"Well I don't want to talk to you", Raph said.  
  
"Can I come over?" Kida asked, taking a step forward. "Or will you cut me in half with your sais?"  
  
"You'd just blast me with balls of light anyway", Raph replied coldly.  
  
"I'd trade anything, even swap with you, just to be rid of these powers", Kida said, sitting on the edge of his bed, tracing an invisible pattern on the sheets.  
  
"Yeah right", Raph said, his eyes still fixed on the ceiling.  
  
"It's true", Kida said, looking at her hands. "These powers have done nothing but cause trouble since I've discovered them. I don't want to become lazy with all of this ability. I want to be normal".  
  
"Well you can't swap with me, because I'm not normal", Raph said.  
  
"Compared to me", Kida said back, "you are".  
  
"Please", Raph snapped. "You don't look like this!"  
  
"Like what?!" Kida snapped back, turning her body to face him. "There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with you! Just because other people think looks add up to everything, it doesn't mean I'm like that. It's kinda corny saying that it's what on the inside that counts, but it's true. One day, you'll be thankful for what you have".  
  
"Just make your point and go", Raph said, pushing at her arm with his hand.  
  
Kida grabbed his hand, and Raph was halfway through a, "HEY!" when she pressed her fingers against his. A small blue glow came from her fingers, and into his. Raph frowned, feeling a pins-and-needles reaction in his hand. When she pulled away, Raph felt a happy surge of power go through his fingers to his heart.  
  
"That's my point", Kida said. "You don't have to look good to feel happy. Look at me, I don't care what I look like, I still even bare scars on my body, but I still don't care". She lifted up her t-shirt slightly to show him the scar that went across her waist, where she took a bullet to the stomach.  
  
"So?" Raph said, one eye-ridge raised.  
  
"So, we can get along", she replied. "Even if we are both very different. To be honest Raph, I don't think we'll ever be able get along. We're the same in emotion, sure, but we're very different in mind, soul and body. But we can at least be nice to one another, because I don't plan to leave you for 6 months, ever again".  
  
"Great", Raph grumbled sarcastically.  
  
Kida laughed. "It's not the start I wanted, but . . . it'll do", she said, standing up. Staring at the candle on his only piece of furniture, Kida smiled, and a flame sparked from the wick. The fire glowed all different colours of blue, aqua and purples, and Kida nodded.  
  
"Don't forget about me", she said softly, walking out of his room.  
  
Raph smiled slightly and shook his head. "Pft, like I could", he said quietly.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
"How did it go with Raph?" Theo asked when they got back to the apartment, just as the clock in the living room struck 7.00.  
  
Kida followed him, closing the door and locking it. "As well as any conversation with Raph could possibly go", she replied, turning on the lights.  
  
"You two are cool with each other though, right?" Theo asked, smiling. "I mean, you're not gonna rip out each others' throats whenever we go back down there, are you?"  
  
Kida smiled. "Would you tell me off if I did?"  
  
"Yes", Theo replied, grinning. "But I'd admire your bravery too".  
  
"Yeah", Kida nodded. "I don't think having 3 turtles and a rat after me would help if I killed a relative. Maybe when they aren't looking . . ."  
  
Theo laughed. "Raph's cool, he's just misguided . . . like you . . ."  
  
"I'm not misguided!" Kida argued. "I'm just –"  
  
"Miss Grumpy?" Theo asked.  
  
Kida smiled and laughed. "Fine . . . but you love me anyway!" She gave his arm a playful thump, and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.  
  
"More than you know", Theo whispered seriously, his piercing green eyes locked onto the bathroom door.  
  
()()()()()()()()  
  
(Done! ^_^ done it, done it – yeah, yeah, yeah! No writing here tonight, whoo! No writing here tonight – no, no, no writing here t night – I'm on a br-eak! Lol, ok – I have now begun author fic – cos I've got all the info I needed. I won't have the Internet for a weekend, so the first chapter should be posted soon (you'll all get emails saying when). Thanks for the comments, and sorry for the not-so-good ending!) 


End file.
